BIG TECH'S CARBON EMISSIONS SURGE ON DATACENTRE BOOM

The three tech giants emitted 119m mTCO₂e in the financial year ending March 2026, according to their latest disclosures. Datacentre expansion represents the largest contributor to the increase, as demand for AI infrastructure and cloud services accelerates. Despite the rising emissions, Microsoft, Amazon and Google maintain commitments to achieve net zero carbon output. The companies have not specified timelines or detailed how they plan to offset the environmental impact of their expanding computational infrastructure. The datacentre boom reflects the industry's race to build AI capabilities and cloud computing capacity. However, the energy-intensive nature of these facilities—requiring substantial cooling systems and continuous power—poses significant environmental challenges. For context, France produces approximately 380m mTCO₂e annually, making the three tech companies' emissions roughly 31% of the nation's total. The rapid growth trajectory raises questions about whether current sustainability pledges can keep pace with infrastructure demands.