Hundreds of thousands turned into tens of millions: artificial intelligence accelerated the demand for carbon credits among technology giants

Large technology giants are ramping up carbon credit purchases in response to AI growth

What’s happening
* Amazon, Google (Alphabet), Meta and Microsoft have sharply increased their carbon credit purchases after the launch of ChatGPT in 2022.

* The Ceezer platform reports that purchase volume rose from 14,200 credits in 2022 to 68.4 million in 2025.

* The driver of growth is the expansion of energy‑intensive AI infrastructure – large data centers require more electricity and water, and thus emit more CO₂.

How carbon offsetting is measured
* One credit = one metric ton of CO₂ that a company either reduces or removes from the atmosphere.

* Companies have pledged to reach net zero emissions, but the rapid development of AI calls this goal into question.

Growth stages
Year Credits (million) % growth vs previous year 2022 0.014 – 2023 11.92 +? (from 2022 to 2023) 2024 24.4 +104 % 2025 68.4 +181 %
> *In 2023 the total volume grew almost a thousandfold compared with 2022 (from 14,200 to 11.92 million).*

Why “purchases” may be hidden
* Microsoft is the only one of the four companies that published annual data before 2022.

* Credits are often bought in packages delivered over several years – this shifts the yearly dynamics.

* Companies are not required to disclose such deals; some purchases may remain private due to reputational risk.

Limitations and prospects
* The deficit of low‑carbon energy is a key barrier to achieving carbon neutrality.

* CO₂ removal technologies include direct air capture (DAC) and accelerating natural carbon uptake processes.

Impact of external research
* A 2022 report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stresses the need for carbon removal to keep warming below 1.5 °C.

* Ben Rubin of the Carbon Business Council believes that the 2023 demand spike is not a coincidence but the start of a structural shift supported by both the private sector and public policy.

How Microsoft measures its purchases
* Shilpika Gautam, CEO of Opna, notes that the carbon removal market is essentially “Microsoft.”

* The company uses a broader methodology: it counts all types of credits, not just permanent CO₂ removal.

* According to Microsoft, purchase volume rose 247 % from 2022 to 2023 fiscal year (5 million units) and another 337 % in 2024.

Conclusion
Technology giants are increasing their investments in carbon credits to offset the rising emissions from large‑scale AI development. Despite higher purchases, real prospects for achieving net zero remain limited by a lack of clean energy and the opacity of credit transactions.