Tech sector carbon emissions continued their rise in recent times, fueled by fast advances in synthetic intelligence (AI) and knowledge infrastructure, in line with a report from teams inside the sector, which profiles a number of the actions being taken by main corporations to handle this.
Greening Digital Firms 2025, produced by the Worldwide Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA), tracks the greenhouse fuel (GHG) emissions, power use, and local weather commitments of 200 main digital corporations as of 2023, the newest yr for which full knowledge is obtainable.
Whereas the annual report calls on digital corporations to handle their rising environmental footprint, it additionally signifies encouraging progress. Worldwide, extra corporations had set emissions targets, sourced renewable power and aligned with science-based frameworks.
“Advances in digital innovation — particularly AI — are driving up power consumption and international emissions,” stated ITU Secretary-Basic Doreen Bogdan-Martin. “Whereas extra have to be performed to shrink the tech sector’s footprint, the most recent Greening Digital Firms report exhibits that trade understands the problem — and that continued progress depends upon sustaining momentum collectively.”
World AI growth fuels power demand
In response to the most recent version of the report, electrical energy consumption by knowledge facilities — which energy AI improvement and deployment, amongst different makes use of — elevated by 12 per cent annually from 2017 to 2023, 4 instances quicker than international electrical energy development.
4 main AI-focused corporations alone noticed their operational emissions improve within the reporting interval by 150 per cent on common since 2020. This rise in power that’s both produced or bought – referred to as Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions – underscores the pressing must handle AI’s environmental impression.
In whole, the quantity of greenhouse fuel emissions reported by the 166 digital corporations lined by the report contributed 0.8 per cent of all international energy-related emissions in 2023.
The 164 digital corporations that reported electrical energy consumption accounted for two.1 per cent of world electrical energy use, at 581 terawatt-hours (TWh), with 10 corporations liable for half of this whole.
“Digital corporations have the instruments and affect to steer the worldwide local weather transition, however progress have to be measured not solely by ambition, however by credible motion,” stated Lourdes O. Montenegro, Director of Analysis and Digitisation at WBA. “This report offers a transparent sign to the worldwide group: extra corporations are stepping up, however emissions and electrical energy use continues to rise.”
Progress amid rising challenges
Though emissions continued their rise, Greening Digital Firms 2025 highlights steps taken by many tech companies that recommend a strengthening of transparency and accountability.
Eight corporations scored above 90 per cent within the report’s local weather dedication evaluation on knowledge disclosure, targets and efficiency. That is up from simply three in final yr’s report.
For the primary time, the report contains knowledge on corporations’ progress towards assembly local weather targets and realizing acknowledged net-zero ambitions. Nearly half of the businesses assessed had dedicated to reaching net-zero emissions, with 41 companies focusing on 2050 and 51 aiming for earlier deadlines.
Different traits among the many 200 digital corporations featured within the report embrace:
- Renewable power adoption: 23 corporations operated on 100 per cent renewable power in 2023, up from 16 in 2022.
- Devoted local weather reporting: 49 corporations launched standalone local weather studies, signaling larger transparency.
- Scope 3 consideration: The variety of corporations publishing targets on oblique emissions from provide chains and product use rose from 73 to 110, displaying rising consciousness of trade impacts.
A name for daring, collaborative and quick motion
Highlighting how the tech sector can guarantee long-term digital sustainability, the joint ITU-WBA report recommends that corporations:
- Strengthen knowledge verification, goal ambition and local weather reporting, together with by publishing local weather transition motion plans.
- Disclose the complete environmental footprint of their AI operations.
- Foster cross-sector collaboration amongst tech companies, power producers and environmental advocates, alongside trade initiatives to drive accelerated digital decarbonization.
- Preserve accelerating renewable power adoption.
“The Greening Digital Firms report has change into a significant software in monitoring the local weather footprint of the tech sector,” stated Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Improvement Bureau. “Regardless of the progress made, greenhouse fuel emissions proceed to rise, confirming that the necessity for digital corporations to undertake science-aligned, clear, and accountable local weather methods has by no means been larger. ITU’s work in monitoring the environmental impression of the sector is a vital step in the direction of reaching a sustainable digital transformation.”
ITU’s Telecommunication Improvement Bureau is working with regulators, statisticians, teachers, and trade specialists to outline indicators that assist nationwide GHG monitoring and data-driven motion via the Skilled Group on Telecommunication/ICT Indicators.
Because the COP30 UN local weather convention approaches, ITU’s Inexperienced Digital Motion goals to make sure that up to date local weather pledges and adaptation plans will absolutely mirror the whole impacts of digital applied sciences.
