Data centres ride AI boom in world with finite renewable energy supplies

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2024-12-13 04:00:07

Microsoft has unveiled its first hyperscale data centre in New Zealand, joining another colossal centre operated by the company CDC.

Their growth is partly riding on a boom in using artificial intelligence, for everything from web searches to complex modelling.

According to Goldman Sachs, a ChatGPT query needs nearly 10 times as much electricity to process as a Google search and data centres globally are expected to more than double their power use by 2030.

Reuters recently cited Morgan Stanley research putting data centres' 2030 climate impact at about 2.5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide.

One investigation by the Guardian found many of the big tech companies were artificially lowering their climate impacts using products called renewable energy certificates.

Other similar reports have increased the pressure for companies to show they are growing the renewable supply where they operate, enough to cover their operations and growth.