Microsoft emissions rose 25% in 2025 as data centers expanded
Microsoft said its 2025 carbon emissions climbed to 34 million metric tons before certain interventions, driven mainly by data center growth.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
2 min read
Microsoft said its carbon emissions rose 25% in 2025, a setback for a company that has pledged to become carbon negative by 2030. The increase shows how fast-growing data center demand, including AI infrastructure, is testing the company’s climate plans.
In its 2026 environmental sustainability report, Microsoft said its emissions totaled 34 million metric tons in 2025 on a basis it described as calculated “without select interventions.” GeekWire reported the increase earlier.
Microsoft attributed the rise mainly to the buildout of its data center infrastructure. The company also said the figure reflected its February 2025 decision to stop buying non-additional, unbundled renewable energy certificates.
Microsoft has said its 2030 target requires it to remove more carbon from the atmosphere than it emits. The latest report indicates the company remains under pressure as its computing footprint grows.
AI demand is outpacing climate fixes
Microsoft’s report links the strain to AI infrastructure, saying the technology is increasing demand for energy, water, land and materials. The company also said sustainability measures are not growing quickly enough to match that demand.
The disclosure follows an earlier setback. Microsoft’s 2024 sustainability report also showed a rise in climate pollution, according to The Verge’s prior coverage of the company’s emissions trend.
Microsoft is not alone among major technology companies reporting higher environmental pressure tied to expanding infrastructure. Google said in its 2026 environmental report that its supply chain emissions rose 25%.
Amazon reported a 16% increase in emissions in its 2025 sustainability report. In June, Amazon also said its data centers used 2.5 billion gallons of water in 2025 and claimed that amount was lower than Microsoft’s data center water use, according to The Verge.
The reports point to a common problem for large cloud and AI companies: the infrastructure needed to train and run advanced systems consumes large amounts of power and other resources. Microsoft’s latest filing shows that, for now, its emissions are moving farther from the company’s long-term climate goal.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.