As global technology giants, Google and Microsoft have a profound impact on the digital landscape. With their vast data centers, cloud services, and computing infrastructure, both companies are major consumers of electricity. Understanding their power consumption not only highlights their environmental footprint but also showcases their efforts towards sustainability and energy efficiency.
In 2023, both Microsoft and Google consumed a substantial 24 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity each. This level of energy use surpasses the power consumption of more than 100 countries, including Ghana, Tunisia, and Iceland, as detailed in an analysis by Michael Thomas. Remarkably, Azerbaijan, a nation with a population of over 10 million, used an equivalent amount of electricity to that consumed by either Microsoft or Google.
Why Are Microsoft and Google Electricity Guzzlers?
Microsoft and Google have data centers to keep their cloud services running, including cloud storage and computing. As data center operators power up the servers that keep the internet humming and make artificial intelligence possible, they also need large volumes of water and power to cool those servers down, to keep them from overheating.
It is said that Microsoft’s water usage spiked last year by 34% owing to increased demand for cooling in its data centers, which is where tools like Bing Chat and ChatGPT live. Google also reported a 20% increase, which University of California researchers attribute to the growth of generative AI. The growing water consumption by data centers is becoming a challenge for some host communities too.
With millions of users utilizing ChatGPT daily, according to reports, ChatGPT currently costs more than $700,000 per day, or 36 cents per query. It is interesting to note that every query also uses the equivalent of a bottle of water in cooling the servers. As the popularity of Generative AI like Bing Chat and ChatGPT increases, power consumption too grows.
Artificial Intelligence’s Influence
The impact of AI is seen in almost every field including medicine, education, music, computing, and more. These tools can mimic human text and speech, creating natural language search queries, and some are even using the tools to write entire novels. As the AI landscape becomes more sophisticated and advanced, so do its demands.
Some of the downsides to advancements in the AI landscape include the degradation of the environment, however, Google and Microsoft are big on renewable energy and have been championing the campaign while seeking alternative power sources.
The power consumption of Google and Microsoft underscores their significant role in the global energy landscape. Their ongoing efforts to improve energy efficiency and invest in renewable energy are crucial in mitigating their environmental impact. As both companies advance towards their ambitious sustainability goals, they continue to lead by example, pushing the technology industry towards a more sustainable future.
