Google and Microsoft consume electricity in more than 100 countries

In 2023, Google and Microsoft consumed 24 TWh of electricity each, which is more than the energy consumption of more than 100 countries. By comparison, Azerbaijan, with a population of 10.14 million people, consumes a similar amount of electricity, while Iceland, Ghana, the Dominican Republic and Tunisia consume about 19 TWh, and Jordan 20 TWh. Slovakia, with a population of 5.4 million people, consumes 26 TWh of electricity, which is only slightly more than the consumption of Google and Microsoft.

The figures highlight the significant impact high-tech companies have on energy consumption and the environment, especially given that their data centers require large amounts of energy. However, it is worth noting that the revenues and economic influence of these companies are also huge. In 2023, Google generated revenue of $305.6 billion, and its economic impact reached approximately $739 billion thanks to tools such as Google Search, Google Cloud, and YouTube. Microsoft, in turn, earned $211.9 billion, and its products, including Windows, Office and Azure, have a significant economic impact that is likely to be in the trillions of dollars.

For comparison, the GDP of Azerbaijan was about $78 billion, Slovakia — about $127 billion, and Iceland — about $30 billion in 2023. This highlights how large the financial scale of Google and Microsoft is compared to their electricity consumption.

Although the significant consumption of electricity by these companies raises the question of the need for sustainable development and the transition to renewable energy sources, it is worth noting that both Google and Microsoft are actively investing in such technologies. Google has been a carbon-neutral company since 2007 and aims to run its data centers 24/7 without emissions by 2030. In 2023, Google continued to invest in renewable energy projects.

Microsoft plans to become carbon negative by 2030, which means removing more carbon from the environment than it emits. The company is also targeting zero-waste production and positive water use by this year. In 2023, Microsoft increased its portfolio of renewable energy assets to more than 19.8 GW, covering projects in 21 countries.

It is difficult to compare the electricity consumption of Google and Microsoft with the consumption of Ukraine due to the energy situation. In 2023, Ukraine produced 36.5 TWh of electricity, which allowed it to meet demand, despite a 19.4% (or 8.8 TWh) reduction in production compared to 2022 due to reduced production capacity due to Russian attacks.