Google And Microsoft Now Consume More Power Than Several Large Countries

Tech giants Google and Microsoft each consumed 24 TWh of electricity in 2023, surpassing the consumption of more than 100 countries, new research claims.

Analysis by Michael Thomas, shared on X, states that both Google and Microsoft used the same amount of energy as Azerbaijan, which has a GDP of $78.7 billion. In 2023, Google's revenue was $307.4 billion, and Microsoft's was $211.9 billion, Tech Radar reported. 

This massive energy usage underscores the significant environmental impact of these companies but also highlights their potential to lead more sustainable initiatives.

For comparison, Iceland, Ghana, the Dominican Republic, and Tunisia each consumed 19 TWh, while Jordan consumed 20 TWh. Libya (25 TWh) and Slovakia (26 TWh) used slightly more power.

The comparison between entire countries and two single companies emphasizes the colossal energy demands of Big Tech. It also points to the environmental impacts of data centers that power cloud services and the new generation of artificial intelligence.

The significant electricity consumption of these companies calls for ongoing discussions around sustainability and renewable energy adoption. Both Google and Microsoft have pledged to be carbon-free or carbon-negative by the end of the decade and have significantly scaled up investments in cleaner energies and energy matching.

With market caps of $2.294 trillion and $3.372 trillion respectively, Google and Microsoft are currently the world's fourth and second-most valuable companies. Given the scale of their operations, comparable to entire nations, their actions in preventing and reversing environmental damage are closely watched.