Google’s AI buildout drove 37% increase in electricity use in 2025

The company also noted that its supply chain emissions from its contracted manufacturers and suppliers actually grew by 25 percent because of “an Asia-Pacific supply chain operating on grids that remain undersupplied with carbon-free energy.”

The carbon-free energy goal

Google has been matching 100 percent of its electricity consumption with renewable energy purchases every year across its global operations, a practice that it has adopted for nine years running. In 2025, the company’s purchase agreements encompassing 12 gigawatts of “net-new clean energy” represented the largest annual total in the company’s history.

But it also acknowledged that companies can merely claim to rely on 100 percent renewable power while still using power generated by fossil fuels in local power grids. Accordingly, Google says it has renewed its emphasis on a “24/7 carbon-free energy ambition” that gets into more granular accounting by focusing on certificates representing hourly and local matches for clean...

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