Microsoft’s new stability report, released last weekend, describes how a heavy carbon economy can lose weight on a company that wants to become a carbon light.
Since 2020, the company’s carbon emissions have increased by 23.4 %, mostly the result of the break -nicked data center bloodout to support its growing cloud and AI operations. Buying enough clean electricity is actually an easy part-these are the facilities that are equipped with carbon-filled materials and products, including steel, concrete and computer chips.
“We reflect these challenges to the world for producing and using green concrete, steel, fuel and chips, a Microsoft spokesperson told Tech Crunch via email.” “These are the biggest drivers of our Scop 3 challenges.”
Scop 3 emissions are those that are out of direct control of a company, including raw materials, transportation, and purchased goods and services. The emission in Scop 3 represents almost all carbon footprints of Microsoft, which is only more than 97 % for the financial year 2024, which includes a sustainability report of 2025.
Microsoft’s Scop 3 profile dominates capital goods and purchased goods and services, in which the two have contributed about three -quarters to the company’s total carbon emission.
Construction of data centers behind Microsoft’s stubborn 3 emissions has been the main driver. The steel used in buildings comes from a supply chain that relies on hot explosion furnaces through foam fuel, and the concrete used in the foundation is a chemical reaction that is powered by carbon dioxide. Some start -ups are working for the decoration of both steel and cement, and is Microsoft An investor In space, but these stakes will be a year before the significant impact.
Carbon emissions are also in the computer chips inside the data center. The semiconductor lithography depends on chemicals that have the highest potential for global warming. For example, hexafloorotheen, which is used for the characteristics of the chips, is a powerful greenhouse gas, producing more and more warming 1 ton. 9,200 tons Of carbon dioxide.
Even in green electricity, which is easy to find, obstacles have popped up because data centers are not always made closer to a lot of clean energy sources. Because of this, Microsoft has a difficult time to find a source close to zero carbon electricity, and forcing it to rely on the purchases elsewhere. The spokesman said, “Our power consumption has increased faster than the grids we work.
Overall, Microsoft’s 2024 emissions were slightly lower than 2023, which shows that the company is improving the construction of low climate -impact data centers. Nevertheless, it has to go a long journey to fulfill its 2030 goal to remove carbon pollution more than it is born. Through its prediction, Microsoft will have to reduce its emission by more than half, while its efforts to remove carbon will also have to be significantly increased.
There are signs that Microsoft is moving on both fronts. In recent months, it has been one of the solar power buyers and buyers, and its zero carbon power portfolio is now standing in 34 GW of capacity. In addition, it has recently signed some of the major deals that promise to remove millions of metric tons of carbon.
However, the 2030s are only a few years away, and the company’s AI and cloud pressure can be profitable – but it has made it so difficult to reach its stability goals.