AI Chipmaking Emissions Surged Fourfold in 2024, Greenpeace Says

Emissions generated from the production of semiconductors that underpin AI services grew more than fourfold in 2024, according to a Greenpeace analysis of company and publicly available data.

Nvidia Corp. and Microsoft Corp. rely on chipmakers like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., SK Hynix Inc., Samsung Electronics Co. and Micron Technology Inc. for the graphic processing units and memory that support artificial intelligence. Much of their manufacturing occurs in Taiwan, South Korea and Japan, where power grids remain deeply reliant on fossil fuels.

The nonprofit’s estimates add to growing signs that the AI race is threateningdecarbonization goals ...