Tech giants Google and Microsoft consumed 24 TWh of electricity in 2023, exceeding the consumption of more than 100 countries. This is stated in the analysis of Michael Thomas, Techradar reports.
He claims that the two companies consumed as much energy last year as Azerbaijan, whose GDP is estimated at $78.7 billion.
The analysis also shows that Google and Microsoft consume more electricity than Iceland, Ghana, the Dominican Republic, and Tunisia, where the figure last year was 19 TWh each.
They also outpaced Jordan, which consumed 20 TWh, and almost caught up with Libya (25 TWh) and Slovakia (26 TWh).
Comparisons between entire countries and two individual companies emphasize the enormous energy needs of big tech. Consumption also indicates the environmental impact of data centers.
The high electricity consumption of Google and Microsoft prompts ongoing discussions about sustainable development and the introduction of renewable energy sources.
By the way, according to Google's last environmental report, the company has completed the last massive purchase of cheap carbon credits, so the tech giant has stopped claiming to be carbon neutral.