Google's data centers double electricity use in four years, driving carbon-free power push.

Google's data center electricity use doubled in four years, reaching 30.8 million megawatt-hours in 2024, up from 14.4 million megawatt-hours in 2020. Data centers accounted for 95.8% of the company's electricity budget. Despite efforts to improve efficiency, the company is investing in various energy sources, including geothermal and nuclear power, to meet its carbon-free pledge.

Google's data center electricity use has more than doubled in four years, reaching 30.8 million megawatt-hours in 2024, up from 14.4 million megawatt-hours in 2020. This substantial increase, driven by a 27% growth in electricity demand, highlights the company's expanding data center footprint and the energy-intensive nature of its operations [1].

Despite this growth, Google has made significant strides in improving the efficiency of its data centers. The company reports that its data centers now deliver six times more computing power per unit of electricity than they did five years ago, largely due to advancements in power-efficient processors like the seventh-generation Tensor Processing Unit (TPU), Ironwood [1].

However, the company's efforts to reduce energy consumption have been offset by a 22% increase in Scope 3 emissions, which account for 73% of its total carbon footprint. These emissions are primarily driven by the manufacturing and assembly of technical infrastructure hardware and the construction of data centers [1].

To meet its carbon-free pledge, Google has been investing in various energy sources. The company signed contracts for 8GW of carbon-free power in 2024, marking the largest annual total in its history and more than twice what it procured last year. These contracts include renewable energy projects, such as onshore wind and geothermal power, as well as investments in emerging technologies like small modular reactors and waste wood recycling [1].

Moreover, Google has announced a major investment in fusion energy, purchasing 200 megawatts of power from Commonwealth Fusion Systems' first commercial fusion plant, which is expected to generate energy for 200,000 average American homes. This investment underscores Google's commitment to exploring innovative energy solutions to meet its sustainability goals [2].

In summary, while Google's data center electricity use has more than doubled in four years, the company has made significant progress in improving energy efficiency and investing in renewable and innovative energy sources. However, the challenge of managing Scope 3 emissions remains a critical hurdle in its decarbonization efforts.

References:
[1] https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/google-data-center-power-use-up-27-emissions-down-17-report/
[2] https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/30/climate/fusion-energy-google-commonwealth-agreement