AI Matters
Why it matters
Big tech carbon emissions surge amid AI datacenter boom
The Guardian AI Datacentres drive up big tech’s carbon emissions to a third of those of France
Collective carbon emissions from Microsoft, Amazon, and Google rose by nearly 20% over the past year, driven largely by the construction of new datacenters.
Why it matters
The environmental cost of running AI models threatens the climate goals of major tech companies, potentially leading to stricter energy regulations.
Latest brief · Jul 22, 2026