Gauging the eco effects of Illinois data centers
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Illinois data centers are already boosting local electric bills. Now, a new analysis by an activist group says they're also driving up CO2 emissions in ways that are sometimes misrepresented.
Why it matters: The Land of Lincoln hosts at least 222 data centers, the fifth highest of any state, with Chicago being home to more than 160.
- Energy consumption and emissions from these centers have spiked with the exponential growth of AI use but clear data on exactly how much remains elusive.
The contention: Earlier this year, Google released a sustainability report saying that its U.S. data center emissions fell by 12% from 2023 to 2024.
Yes, but: Digital environmental justice group Kairos says those figures only reflect "market-based" emissions that are calculated by taking into account renewable energy the company has purchased to offset its emissions.
- Using Google's self-reported data, Kairos calculates the company's "location-based" scope 2 emissions, which don't take into account offsets, grew by 22% from 2023 to 2024.
What they're saying: "The analysis by the Kairos Fellowship distorts the facts," a Google spokesperson told Axios.
- "Our carbon emissions are calculated according to the widely used Greenhouse Gas Protocol and assured by a third party. Our carbon reduction ambition has been validated by the leading industry body, the Science Based Targets initiative."
The other side: "Google's PR team can whip up evasive talking points, name-checking industry-standard protocols and organizations, but it cannot hide from the truth: Google's own third-party-assured data reveals that the corporation has utterly failed to decrease its emissions — by any amount," Franz Michael, co-author of the Kairos report, responded.
Reality check: Google is considered one of the nation's more eco-minded tech companies, with bigger goals and more transparency than other tech giants, Natural Resources Defense Council energy specialist Jackson Morris tells Axios.
- The company is also just one of many that operate data centers in Illinois.
The fine print: Andrew Chien, UChicago professor of computer science and senior computer scientist at Argonne National Labs, tells Axios that Google is using a widely accepted accounting practice, but it doesn't capture the company's full responsibility for carbon emissions.
- "Data centers consume a real-time grid mix of generation, not the power transacted in [purchasing agreements]," says Chien. "Location-based accounting captures this reality, attributing carbon emissions for power consumption more fairly and holding data center companies directly accountable for their environmental impact, which is growing explosively with proliferating AI and Cloud data centers."
The intrigue: While many applications are driving data center energy demands, Kairos noted that Google's energy consumption increased with the recent expansion of Gemini and automatic AI overviews on Google searches.
- Studies by Goldman Sachs and others show that AI-powered queries use 6-10 times more energy than a conventional Google search.
How it works: Those who want to turn off the AI overview feature on a per search basis can do so by typing "-ai" after the query.
- When Axios asked why the company doesn't allow users to disable the AI feature indefinitely, Google sustainability representative Mara Harris said: "Our extensive testing shows that people find their results much more helpful with AI Overviews — so helpful that they come back and search on Google more often."
State of play: President Trump recently signed an executive order to speed up data center expansion.
- And on Tuesday, EPA administrator Lee Zeldin started a process to overturn the agency's scientific basis for limiting greenhouse gas emissions.
Meanwhile: Legislation by state Sen. Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) to require data centers to disclose information on their water and energy failed in Springfield this year.
- Stadelman told Axios he'll continue to push for data center transparency rules, which passed this year in Minnesota.
What's next: Illinois utility officials announced that local electricity rates will likely spike again next year due to data center demand.
- ComEd just announced it closed applications for $10 million in power bill relief after 70,000 people applied.