Mei Ri Jing Ji Xin Wen·2025-08-04 13:19Core Insights - The article discusses the environmental costs associated with the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI), highlighting Microsoft's significant investment in carbon removal initiatives as a response to its increasing carbon footprint [2][7]. Group 1: Microsoft's Investment in Carbon Removal - Microsoft has signed a deal with Vaulted Deep to achieve a carbon removal target of 4.9 million tons by 2038, with the total value of the contract reportedly exceeding $1 billion, potentially costing Microsoft up to $1.7 billion based on a fee of $350 per ton [3][5]. - The investment is part of Microsoft's strategy to purchase "emission rights" as its carbon emissions have increased by 23.4% since 2020 due to the expansion of its cloud computing and AI businesses [7]. Group 2: Environmental Impact of AI - The AI industry is facing growing scrutiny over its environmental impact, with reports indicating that the indirect carbon emissions from major tech companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet, and Meta have increased by an average of 150% from 2020 to 2023 [9][10]. - A specific AI model, Mistral Large 2, produced 20.4 tons of CO2 over 18 months, equivalent to the annual emissions of 5,000 average cars, and consumed 281,000 cubic meters of water [10]. Group 3: Criticism of Carbon Offset Strategies - Experts criticize Microsoft's approach of "buying offsets," arguing that it distracts from the need for genuine emission reductions at the source [8][14]. - The current carbon accounting mechanisms are seen as flawed, allowing companies to claim zero emissions through market-based accounting, which may not reflect actual environmental impacts [9][10]. Group 4: Future Projections and Industry Actions - By 2027, AI is projected to consume up to 6.6 billion cubic meters of water annually, and data center energy consumption could double by 2030, surpassing the total energy consumption of countries like Japan [13][14]. - Major tech companies are making commitments to achieve net-zero emissions by 2030 or 2040, but experts emphasize the need for a focus on renewable energy and reducing emissions at the source rather than relying solely on carbon credits [14][15].