Microsoft stands out as one of the most environmentally responsible companies in Big Tech, but a new report indicates it may be retreating from one of its most ambitious climate goals.
The Redmond, Washington-based company previously pledged to match 100 percent of its hourly electricity use with renewable energy purchases by 2030; Microsoft already meets its annual targets for renewable energy matches.
Now, with pressure to construct data centers to fuel AI, Microsoft is considering delaying or abandoning that hourly goal, Bloomberg reports.
The hourly clean power goal is named 100/100/0, indicating the intent to match all of its energy use, all of the time, with zero-carbon energy purchases. That goal is complicated by the enormous amount Microsoft is spending on data centers, around $190 billion through the end of the year. The data center boom has equated to less money for other corporate endeavors, like clean energy. In the wake of those costs, Microsoft has already begun reducing its carbon-dioxide removal program.
Many tech companies are looking to natural gas — which emits Earth-warming greenhouse gases — to partially power their data centers, rather than cleaner energy sources like solar, wind, or hydro power.
The companies of Big Tech are all emitting more carbon in the wake of the AI race; Microsoft has seen a 23 percent jump in carbon emissions since late 2022, while Google's increased by 51 percent and Meta's by 64 percent during that same time period, Bloomberg reports.