tech
Google to tap into gas plant for AI datacenter in sharp turn from climate goals
Texas power plant would emit 4.5m tons of carbon dioxide per year, more than that of the entire city of San Francisco
TL;DR
- Google is involved in a partnership for a natural gas power plant in Armstrong county, Texas, to power one of its datacenters.
- The project, led by Crusoe Energy, involves a 933-megawatt power plant that could emit up to 4.5 million tons of carbon dioxide annually.
- This move represents a strategic shift for Google, which previously aimed for carbon neutrality by 2030 and was seen as a clean energy leader.
- Google states its core strategy remains carbon-free energy and that natural gas usage is not a departure from its climate goals, emphasizing a move towards grid construction.
- The company's emissions have risen, partly due to datacenter energy consumption, and its climate goals are now framed as 'climate moonshots'.
- Other major tech companies like Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft are also turning to natural gas for their AI datacenters.