Amazon, the e-commerce behemoth, reported a 3% decrease in its total emissions for the previous year, achieving its objective of balancing all global electricity consumption with renewable power, as stated on Wednesday. The energy usage and emissions of tech giants are increasingly scrutinized due to the escalating electricity demands driven by AI advancements. Amazon aims to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040 and had previously committed to sourcing 100% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030, a target it has now fulfilled. According to its annual sustainability report, Amazon's emissions in 2023 totaled 68.82 million metric tonnes of CO2 equivalent, a reduction from 70.74 million tonnes in the prior year. These emissions encompass those from its supply chain, third-party logistics, and purchased electricity. Emissions directly linked to Amazon's operations increased by 7% to 14.27 million tonnes, attributed to a rise in packages handled by its internal logistics team and overall business expansion, including data centers.
"We understand that generative AI demands significant computing power. To meet this demand while advancing our climate objectives, we need to explore different energy sources than initially planned," explained Chris Roe, Amazon's Director of Worldwide Carbon, in an email. Amazon bolstered its renewable energy portfolio last year with investments in 112 new projects and is recognized by Bloomberg NEF as the world's largest corporate buyer of renewable electricity. The company occasionally uses renewable energy credits to fill the gap between project construction and operational start but did not specify how many were utilized to meet its target. To date, Amazon has invested in over 500 global wind and solar projects, totaling 28 gigawatts of capacity.
