Google Locks in 2030 Net-Zero Goal as AI Emissions Rise

Google signed 16 carbon removal deals worth more than $100 million in 2025, maintaining its status as the world's second-largest buyer of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) credits behind Microsoft. The disclosure came inside Alphabet's 117-page environmental report, in which the parent company reaffirmed its 2030 net-zero target and warned that artificial intelligence (AI) is making the path to that target "more complex and challenging than ever".

Aerial view of a Google data center powered by nearby wind turbines, reflecting the clean-energy demands behind the company's 2030 net-zero commitment. AI generated image.

Alphabet points to three converging factors behind the growing difficulty: the rapid expansion of AI, shifting government policies, and the risk that some early-stage CDR projects may underperform. Together, these are reducing the "precision of our roadmaps and necessitate ongoing strategic adjustments".

"Meeting the unprecedented infrastructure and energy demands of AI creates significant headwinds to reducing absolute emissions," Google said.

The new 2025 contracts cover roughly 600,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e) over the coming years. Combined with earlier deals, Google's cumulative contracted portfolio exceeds 1.388 million tCO2e as of the end of 2025.

The report signals no change to Google's purchasing strategy. The company will "continuously evolve" its portfolio and remains "deeply committed" to the 2030 goal, describing AI as "a critical inflection point for Google and the broader industry, driving non-linear growth that complicates long-term planning and forecasting".

The reassurance carries weight for the wider CDR market. In April, Microsoft — the largest global CDR buyer—said it was adjusting the pace of its acquisitions after media reports suggested it had paused purchases. That development raised concerns among project developers and investors that other hyperscalers might follow, particularly as AI-driven emissions rise and the cost of hitting 2030 targets mounts.

Google's director of sustainability for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa moved to counter those concerns in May, confirming Google would maintain its procurement strategy regardless of Microsoft's decisions.

The report is also candid about portfolio risk. Google acknowledged that some of the early-stage projects it backs may fail to deliver the expected environmental benefits. It said it will disclose such setbacks and adjust the portfolio based on which technologies prove most effective.

Google's ambition-based emissions reached 14.5 million tCO2e in 2025 — up 18% on 2024 and 81% on the 2019 base year. Under its 2030 strategy, the company aims to halve emissions from that 2019 baseline and use CDR to neutralise the balance.