Google’s AI expansion fueled 37% jump in electricity use in 2025
▼ Summary
– Google’s annual electricity consumption rose 37% in 2025, the largest increase in its history, driven by AI data center buildout.
– Total electricity usage has increased over 250% since 2019, attributed to Google Cloud, YouTube, and data centers supporting AI products.
– Despite the rise, Google reduced its operational carbon emissions by 2% by purchasing large amounts of clean energy.
– Google’s data centers consumed over 42 million megawatt-hours in 2025, rivaling the electricity use of entire countries like New Zealand.
– Supply chain emissions increased 25% due to Asia-Pacific manufacturing on grids lacking carbon-free energy, causing total ambition-based emissions to rise 18%.
Google’s electricity consumption surged by 37 percent in 2025, marking the steepest annual increase in the company’s history as Silicon Valley’s AI data center expansion accelerates. Despite this massive jump, the tech giant managed to keep its operational carbon emissions in check by continuing to purchase substantial amounts of clean energy, according to the company’s latest sustainability report.
The report reveals that Google’s total electricity use has more than quadrupled since 2019, climbing over 250 percent. This growth is tied to ongoing demand from Google Cloud, YouTube video streaming, and the construction and operation of data centers that power a wide range of AI products and services. The 37 percent spike in 2025 follows a 27 percent increase the previous year, underscoring a persistent upward trend.
“While the path to achieving our climate ambitions will not be linear,given our AI infrastructure buildout is currently accelerating faster than the grid is decarbonizing,we remain focused on scaling abundant and affordable clean power globally and progressing technological innovations that drive down emissions across our operations and the broader industry,” the report states.
Google’s data centers consumed over 42 million megawatt-hours of electricity in 2025, up from 30.6 million megawatt-hours the year before. That level of energy use rivals the electricity consumption of entire countries such as New Zealand, Denmark, and Nigeria. The full sustainability report includes additional self-reported data, including water consumption figures for various data center campuses.
Even with the sharp rise in electricity use, Google reported a 2 percent reduction in its operational emissions over the same period. This apparent decoupling of emissions from energy growth is a promising sign, though the company acknowledges it will need to ramp up clean energy investments and forge closer partnerships with local stakeholders in the years ahead.
However, Google’s supply chain emissions tell a different story. Emissions from contracted manufacturers and suppliers grew by 25 percent, driven by an Asia-Pacific supply chain reliant on grids that remain undersupplied with carbon-free energy. As a result, Google’s total ambition-based emissions increased by 18 percent between 2024 and 2025.
(Source: Ars Technica)
