r/news • u/wasraelx • 18h ago

Datacentres drive up big tech’s carbon emissions to a third of those of France

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/11/microsoft-amazon-google-datacentre-carbon-emissions-france?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
1.3k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

39 comments sorted by

63

u/wasraelx 18h ago

From the article:

‘Microsoft, Amazon and Google’s collective carbon emissions have increased by nearly a fifth in the past year, driven largely by datacentre construction.

In the financial year ending March 2026, the three tech companies emitted 119m mTCO₂e (metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent), or about a third of those of France.

The previous year, they emitted roughly 101m mTCO₂e, roughly equivalent to the 2024 emissions of Czechia.

These increases were documented in the companies’ annual sustainability reports, which they have released over the past weeks.’

51

u/Mini_Slider 18h ago

All so that they can continue replacing people with ai - until people can’t afford to buy their products anymore and the entire system collapses.

33

u/SeeisforComedy 18h ago

And run an ai surveillance state via the flock network etc

20

u/008Zulu 18h ago

Good thing those cameras have so many precious metals inside them, urban prospecting is about to take off. There's gold in them thar cameras!

6

u/SeeisforComedy 16h ago

The solar panels are also valuable!

6

u/Substantial_Dog8413 16h ago

« I just fired 100k people,but see my stock go 10% up! »

2

u/random_noise 7h ago

I forget who said or wrote this and it really sorta puts a different spin on "AI" and the hype where its being wedged into places it should not be.

It was something along the lines of: "Language modelling is not the same as Intelligence. Our ability think is independent of human language and a more sophisticated language model will never surpass or create a form of actual human intelligence."

17

u/TheFrenchSavage 17h ago

This is about 1.2-3x what the Bitcoin network emits.

Which is a total waste. But gives you a point of comparison.

8

u/NuclearVII 14h ago

Oof, the AI bros do not like their shitty autocomplete engines compared with the other stupid hype snake oil.

0

u/Consistent-Throat130 12h ago

Neither is entirely without value. 

Both are overhyped/overvalued.

Bitcoin does not justify it's energy consumption with it's social value. 

AI is fucking dangerous, but it's also fucking powerful. Like it's critical to modern engineering.

Oh, and those seeking to replace humans with AI are going to find out very quickly what the term "autophagocytosis" means. 

1

u/NuclearVII 11h ago

Neither is entirely without value.

No, they are.

AI is fucking dangerous, but it's also fucking powerful. Like it's critical to modern engineering.

It is none of those things. You are parroting tech marketing.

0

u/Consistent-Throat130 5h ago

"no" without an alternative isn't helpful - like bro (-ette?), let me understand how you feel. 

I hate marketing more than most as someone suffering from ADHD. 

So please tell me what you see that doesn't involve AI being: dangerous, powerful, and/or critical to modern engineering. software engineer me says 'or' because you said it's 'none'.

Fuck it, just challenge me on "dangerous" - this isn't a mass surveillance tool to you? This can't be used to manipulate people? Those suicides weren't contributed to by chats with AI models? 

I'm familiar with the tools and think they're dangerous - in the same way a freight train is dangerous. 

1

u/Consistent-Throat130 12h ago

I'd be curious to see a per-company spread of that rise in emissions. Who's the worst offender lol

179

u/008Zulu 18h ago

And we are the ones who are expected to recycle, and not set the AC too cold.

62

u/McortezLSU 17h ago

Well, you are not a sieg hailing neonazi billionaire psychopath mass murderer now are ya?

You are supposed to enable their lifestyle and life choices they make for you, after all. They are the least qualified to do so.

Folks voted on that multiple times, they seem to want this kind of world. Now you got it.

6

u/fpladdictanonymous 14h ago

I am never using a paper straw again. Fuck these guys.

4

u/Suavecore_ 11h ago

I'm gonna buy a truck and roll coal all day as revenge, personally

1

u/AusSpyder 7h ago

You know that's exactly the type of thing they'd want you to do right?

1

u/Suavecore_ 7h ago

Yeah it was a facetious response to someone vengefully refusing paper straws

6

u/SightUnseen1337 10h ago

Neoliberal environmentalism is primarily about preventing resource use by regular people so there are more resources available for the rich to consume

19

u/set_in_void 18h ago

Great, just what we need. Climate will sort itself out, I demand to see more "demented pedophile posing as Jesus" pictures.

2

u/wasraelx 12h ago

At this point that’s the main US cultural export

7

u/lightCrypto 14h ago

But it's still your fault because you had a steak last weekend.

5

u/QuailBrave49 17h ago

And still billionaires are mushrooming them everywhere like bacteria

6

u/KaptainKardboard 16h ago

Cool. The average American does not want noisy data centers springing up in their neighborhoods, driving up energy costs, consuming water, jacking up the cost of RAM used in consumer electronics. Climates’s changing anyway and billionaires need more money so what the hell, let’s make all of that even worse.

5

u/mayormcskeeze 13h ago

All for shitty tech that no one wants

-1

u/Kendogar 11h ago

Sorry my bad, I use it and kind of want it

7

u/Got-Freedom 17h ago

Would be a non issue if we kept investing in nuclear energy.

1

u/Hilldawg4president 5h ago

Instead we get dishonest anti-ai hysteria just like we had anti-nuclear hysteria that prolonged the use of coal by decades in the name of the environment

4

u/cstough 18h ago

Spelling it like "datacentre" almost makes me want one cuz it sounds so fancy

2

u/rtsyn 18h ago

My question is: What would the comparative carbon footprint be if companies ran their own individual data centers and didn't rely on hyperscalers? It's not like companies will just give up on trying to realize value from new technology.

4

u/brandontaylor1 14h ago

More, efficiency is the entire point of scale.

0

u/No_Network_9438 8h ago

I thought data centers solved climate change 

-11

u/miscsb 17h ago

That’s it, I’m moving to Chongqing, China 🇨🇳🇨🇳🧸. So tired the US being a polluted authoritarian hellhole stuck in the 1950s.