Energy Consumption of Google and Microsoft Rivals Nations

In 2023, Google and Microsoft each consumed 24 TWh of electricity, surpassing the consumption levels of over 100 countries, according to new research. Analysis by Michael Thomas shared on X, indicates that both tech giants used the same amount of energy as Azerbaijan, which has a GDP of $78.7 billion. Google’s revenue for the year was $307.4 billion, while Microsoft’s stood at $211.9 billion.

For context, countries such as Iceland, Ghana, the Dominican Republic, and Tunisia each consumed 19 TWh, and Jordan used 20 TWh. Libya and Slovakia had slightly higher consumptions at 25 TWh and 26 TWh, respectively.

The significant electricity use by Google and Microsoft underscores the need for ongoing discussions around sustainability and the adoption of renewable energy. Both companies have committed to being carbon-free or carbon-negative by the end of the decade and have considerably increased their investments in cleaner energy sources and energy matching.

With market capitalizations of $2.294 trillion and $3.372 trillion, respectively, Google and Microsoft are currently the fourth and second most valuable companies in the world. Given the scale of their operations, comparable to that of entire nations, their efforts to mitigate environmental damage are closely monitored.

The comparison between the energy consumption of entire nations and these two companies underscores the immense energy demands of Big Tech. It also emphasizes the environmental challenges posed by data centers that power cloud services and advanced AI technologies.