Google’s data center energy consumption has more than doubled in the last four years. According to the company’s 2024 sustainability report, its data centers used a total of 30.8 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity last year.
Google’s energy consumption has doubled
That’s more than double the 14.4 TWh it recorded in 2020. The increase in energy use is directly linked to the proliferation of artificial intelligence services and the expansion of the company’s global cloud infrastructure.
Data centers account for 95.8 percent of Google’s total energy consumption. While the company’s overall energy profile has not changed significantly in four years, a longer-term increase is striking.
Consumption, which was just 4 TWh in 2014, has increased sevenfold by 2024. Google has pioneered many technologies to increase energy efficiency, but progress in this area has been limited, the company said.
In order to meet the increasing energy demand and reduce carbon emissions, Google is making large-scale investments in various energy sources and infrastructure projects. The company’s goal is to meet its energy needs completely from carbon-neutral sources.
In this regard, geothermal energy is particularly noteworthy. This source, which can provide continuous electricity production, offers a stable solution for data centers regardless of weather conditions. Fervo Energy, supported by Google, is developing technologies that will enable economical drilling in larger areas in this area.
Nuclear energy, on the other hand, is at the center of Google’s long-term energy plans. The company invested in Commonwealth Fusion Systems, which develops nuclear fusion technologies. The parties reached an agreement to supply 200 megawatts of electricity annually from the Arc power plant, which is planned to be operational in the early 2030s.
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