Amazon’s long -term environmental policies were shaking with the fact that he did not slow down in the artificial intelligence race. According to data reflected in the company’s 2024 sustainability report, carbon emissions increased again after three years. This 6 percent increase was caused by Amazon’s aggressive data center expansion. This development put the net zero emission target at 2040 determined by Amazon.
While the energy needs of the data centers are growing gradually, most of the need is based on special chips that run artificial intelligence systems. The chips require more electrical and cooling capacity than traditional processors. Amazon continues to build large infrastructures to support these equipment. With these investments, the company aims to reinforce its leadership in the field of artificial intelligence.
Energy Consumption of Amazon Data Centers Folded
The increase in energy use of the company was not limited to direct consumption. The report is also clearly stated in the report that the amount of electricity purchased from outsources is increased. With this development, indirect emissions increased by 6 percent. This shows that Amazon increases not only with its own activities, but also through the supply chain.
Fossil fuel -based energy use increased by 7 percent in 2024. Amazon’s carbon load in his own internal operations became more visible in this respect. Logistics activities, vehicle fleets and construction projects of the company are among the main factors of this increase. Despite this, Amazon says he has not taken back from climate commitments.
Although Amazon emphasizes that it maintains the net zero emission target until 2040, the current figures reveal that the road to this goal is quite challenging. The Climate Pledge initiative, which is one of the founders of the company, has the signature of 549 companies. In this attempt, MasterCard, Sony and Snap Inc. technology giants such as. However, Amazon’s own performance makes the sustainability of these goals controversial.
In February 2025, CEO Andy Jassy announced a new investment plan of $ 100 billion. Most of this investment was reserved for Amazon Web Services (AWS). The expansion of data centers within AWS is the basis of this investment. Therefore, the increase in energy consumption is expected to continue in 2025.
Although the company tries to strengthen the leadership position in artificial intelligence technologies, the cost of this growth to the environment cannot be ignored. Especially at a time when the effects of the climate crisis are intensified, the sustainability efforts of companies are more closely monitored. Amazon’s progress in this area will be more clearly evaluated with the next year’s reports. But the current trend shows that increasing energy consumption contradicts sustainability commitments.
Another interesting detail is that Amazon’s environmental impact calculation methods have previously been the subject of criticism. The amendment to the methodology in 2022 suddenly reduced the figures, but it was claimed that it did not reflect the real effect. Today, the rate of increase reached was one of the highest leaps following the methodology change. This may bring back the discussions of transparency of reporting.