Google has revealed how artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are playing a crucial role in helping individuals and businesses minimize their environmental impact. The tech giant’s recent annual Environmental report highlights its efforts to run data centers and offices on carbon-free energy (CFE) continuously. The company has achieved approximately 64% CFE across all of its data centers and offices while expanding its CFE reporting to include offices and third-party data centers.
Additionally, Google’s commitment to reducing water consumption is evident through its contracted watershed projects, which have replenished 271 million gallons of water by the end of 2022. This demonstrates Google’s initiative to replenish 120% of the freshwater it uses.
Google acknowledges that AI plays a pivotal role in its climate change mitigation efforts. The company utilizes AI to develop climate change-fighting tools that offer individuals better information, optimize operations for organizations, and improve predicting and forecasting capabilities. A prime example of this is the use of AI in Google Maps to assist users in eco-friendly route planning, resulting in an estimated carbon emissions reduction of 1.2 metric tonnes, equivalent to taking approximately 250,000 fuel-based cars off the road for a year.
Furthermore, Google leverages AI to enhance the energy efficiency of its data centers by reducing the environmental footprint of its AI models. The company has made significant investments in cleaner cloud computing, making its data centers among the most efficient worldwide. By sourcing more carbon-free energy, Google aids its customers in making real-time decisions to minimize emissions and mitigate climate risks using data and AI. An instance of this is Google Cloud’s Active Assist feature, which employs machine learning to identify unused workloads, thus saving money and reducing carbon emissions.
However, Google acknowledges the challenges posed by the growing use of AI. While AI compute demand has increased, the company has employed tested practices to significantly reduce the energy consumption and emissions associated with AI workloads. The report outlines practices that have reduced model training energy consumption by up to 100 times and emissions by up to 1,000 times. Google plans to continue implementing and developing these practices to enhance the efficiency of AI computing.
In summary, Google’s ongoing efforts to leverage AI and machine learning demonstrate its commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and curbing the environmental impact of its operations. Through initiatives in CFE usage, water conservation, and energy-efficient AI computing, Google strives to be at the forefront of sustainable technology.
John Ravenporton is a writer for many popular online publications. John is now our chief editor at DailyTechFeed. John specializes in Crypto, Software, Computer and Tech related articles.
