Google and Microsoft consume more electricity than an entire country in 2023

Google and Microsoft consume more electricity than an entire country in 2023 Picture 1

To easily imagine the huge energy needs of high-tech companies as well as the data centers operated by Google and Microsoft, the electricity consumption of Google and Microsoft in 2003 was higher than many other countries. such as Iceland, Ghana, Jordan, Dominican Republic or Tunisia and is equivalent to the electricity consumption of Azerbaijan (a country with 10.14 million people). It is likely that the huge energy demands of high-tech companies will have a significant impact on the environment.

However, in 2023, Google generated $305.6 billion in revenue, of which tools like Google Search, Google Cloud and YouTube contributed about $739 billion to the economy.

Microsoft had revenue of $211.9 billion last year, and the economic impact of its products could reach the trillions of dollars.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan's GDP in 2023 is about 78 billion USD, Slovakia's GDP is about 127 billion USD and Iceland's GDP is about 30 billion USD. The numbers show that the economic output of Google and Microsoft by far exceeds the GDP of these countries. This comparison shows the huge financial scale of big tech companies compared to their electricity consumption. Surname.

The huge power consumption of Google and Microsoft shows the urgency of adopting renewable energy in the technology industry. Fortunately, these two companies are also leading the way in adopting renewable energy sources in the industry.

Since 2007, the company has achieved 'carbon neutral' status. Google's goal is to operate on carbon-free energy 24/7 at all of its data centers by 2030.

Microsoft has also committed to becoming a company that removes more carbon from the environment than it emits by 2030.

Isabella Humphrey

Update 16 July 2024