Innovating sustainable ideas. Growing renewable solutions.
We’re building the world’s most energy-efficient computing infrastructure, while advancing water stewardship, and strengthening energy grids in communities — all driving toward our global goal of net-zero emissions by 2030.
Zeroing in on net-zero emissions
A wind farm in Minco, Oklahoma, provides energy to our data center in Mayes County, Oklahoma.
Reducing emissions across our operations and value chain
Data centers are a key part of Google’s journey toward net-zero carbon.
We are actively working on ways to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from our data center construction by reducing the quantity of materials required to build our data centers as well as using more sustainable materials such as green concrete and renewable diesel in construction activity.
By being ambitious in our goals, we’re leading the charge by pursuing net zero across our own operations.
Optimizing water use and innovation at our data centers
Taking a climate-conscious approach to cooling our facilities
Similar to personal computers, the servers in data centers generate heat and need to be cooled in order to operate safely and efficiently. Water cooling is an energy-efficient way to remove heat, and is often a more sustainable option compared to other energy-intensive cooling methods such as chillers or air conditioning. At each data center campus, our cooling decisions look at the local environment — balancing the availability of carbon-free energy and responsibly-sourced water, including alternatives to freshwater — to minimize the net climate impact both today and in the future.
A sunset over St. Ghislain, Belgium, illuminates our water storage tanks and cooling towers.
Water stewardship at our data centers
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Climate-conscious cooling strategy
Climate-conscious cooling is our approach to balancing the trade-offs when making cooling decisions based on local hydrology and emissions factors. We use a multi-dimensional, data-driven methodology, in consultation with local experts, to find the best cooling solution for every new and existing data center location.
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Responsible water use at our data centers
Responsible water use means that if a water source is assessed as high risk, we look for alternative solutions. For example, in Mesa, Arizona, we found the local water source was at high risk of depletion and scarcity. Therefore, we opted to air-cool the data center, minimizing our impact on the local watershed.
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Investing in local watershed health
We aim to replenish more freshwater than we consume, on average, across our data centers and offices by 2030. Our local water stewardship initiatives are rooted in collaboration and industry best practice, addressing shared water challenges and tracking measurable improvements in the replenishment and health of the watersheds in our data center communities.
Clear waters reflect our Eemshaven, Netherlands, data center.
Alternative cooling
33%
In 2023, roughly one-third of our data center campuses used non-potable water sources or air-cooling methods.
Building a more reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy system for all
Wind turbines spin near our Eemshaven, Netherlands, data center.
We are driving sustainable load growth as a leader, innovator, and collaborator
As electrification, industrial growth, and digitalization create benefits for economies and communities around the world — including Google products and services — they’re also creating new electricity demand. Meeting this demand with reliable, affordable, and clean power is one of our greatest challenges — and opportunities.
We're committed to responsibly managing our data center energy consumption and leveraging our capital, expertise, and technology to enhance the energy ecosystem. We see Google's growing infrastructure as both catalytic to the 21st century economy and the transformation of the electricity system, providing benefits across communities and electrical grids where we operate. Now is the moment to build a better energy system for the future and for everyone.
Leading the industry in energy-efficient data centers
We strive to build the world’s most energy-efficient computing infrastructure so we can power more searches and products with less energy. Google data centers are among the most efficient in the world because of AI, installing smart temperature and lighting controls, redesigning how power is distributed to reduce energy loss, and other site-specific innovations and collaborations.
Windmills at the Norther Offshore Wind Farm in Belgium, our first offshore wind power purchase agreement (PPA).
Continuous improvement
1.8x
Our data centers are approximately 1.8 times as energy efficient as the typical enterprise data center.
Average Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) for all Google data centers
Our data centers are among the most efficient in the world with our fleet-wide PUE dropping significantly since we first started reporting our numbers in 2008.
Frequently asked questions
In 2021, we set a goal to reach net-zero emissions across all of our operations and value chain by 2030. Our approach will continue to evolve and will require us to navigate significant uncertainty — including the uncertainty around the future environmental impact of AI, which is complex and difficult to predict. In addition, solutions for some key global challenges don’t currently exist, and will depend heavily on the broader clean energy transition.
As our business and industry continue to evolve, we expect our total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to rise before dropping toward our absolute emissions reduction target.
For our Net Zero goal, we aim to achieve net-zero GHG emissions across all of our operations and value chain by 2030 by reducing 50% of our combined Scope 1, Scope 2 (market-based), and Scope 3 absolute emissions (compared to our 2019 base year) by 2030, and investing in nature-based and technology-based carbon removal solutions to neutralize our remaining emissions. We’ve formally committed to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to validate our absolute emissions reduction target. We’ll proactively monitor the evolution of global standards to ensure our definition maintains general alignment while maximizing our positive impact on the planet.
Carbon-free energy (CFE) is any type of electricity generation that doesn’t directly emit carbon dioxide, including (but not limited to) solar, wind, geothermal, hydropower, and nuclear. Sustainable biomass and carbon capture and storage (CCS) are special cases considered on a case-by-case basis, but are often also considered carbon-free energy sources.
Google is one of the world’s largest corporate buyers of clean energy and leaders in advancing clean energy technologies. In 2017, Google became the first major company to match 100% of our annual electricity consumption on a global basis with renewable energy, which we’ve achieved every year since. And in 2024, we signed contracts to purchase approximately 4 gigawatts (GW) of clean energy generation capacity — more than in any prior year in our history.
Building on our first two decades of progress, in 2020 we launched our third decade of climate action — our most ambitious yet. We have a bold goal to reach net-zero emissions across all of our operations and value chain by 2030, supported by a goal to run on 24/7 carbon-free energy (CFE) on every grid where we operate.
We also strive to build the world’s most energy-efficient computing infrastructure, supported by responsible water use practices and a commitment to minimizing waste. Our data centers remain some of the most efficient in the world, and we continue working to optimize their use of electricity, water, and materials. In 2023, the average annual power usage effectiveness (PUE) for our global fleet of data centers was 1.10, compared with the industry average of 1.58 — meaning that Google data centers used about 5.8 times less overhead energy for every unit of IT equipment energy.
For more details, check out our latest Environmental Report.
We buy electricity directly from new clean energy projects through various methods depending on the market, including: contracting directly via long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs); working with utilities or developers to buy and deliver carbon-free energy (CFE); structuring energy supply contracts with energy providers; and making targeted investments in renewable energy to enable additional projects on the grid. See the 2024 Google Environmental Report (p. 36) for more information.
Google is committed to being an active member in the communities we call home. Close collaboration with community leaders, local utilities, and local organizations is a priority for us to identify opportunities for meaningful community and global support.
Scaling AI and using it to accelerate climate action are just as crucial as addressing the environmental impact associated with it. To help minimize our environmental footprint, we’ve built world-leading efficient infrastructure for the AI era and use tested practices to reduce the carbon footprint of workloads. AI has the potential to help mitigate 5–10% global greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
Water plays an important role in our data centers — cooling our servers, regulating indoor temperatures, and keeping our products up and running. In fact, water cooling has been shown to help reduce energy consumption and related carbon emissions when compared to air-based cooling. While it will take more time for electricity grids to decarbonize, we’ll continue using water cooling to improve our energy efficiency in certain geographies. Recognizing that this tradeoff will increase our data center water footprint, we’re prioritizing responsible water use and water replenishment at new sites from the start.
In consultation with a team of water experts, Google developed a peer-reviewed, context-based Water Risk Framework to evaluate local watershed risk at new sites to guide decision-making on whether to use a freshwater source for evaporative cooling.
Google aims to “return” or improve the water quality and ecosystem health in the watersheds and communities where we operate through investments in water stewardship projects.
