{"id":4092,"date":"2026-07-12T06:35:51","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T01:35:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=4092"},"modified":"2026-07-12T06:35:51","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T01:35:51","slug":"ai-boom-puts-big-techs-transparency-to-the-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=4092","title":{"rendered":"AI boom puts Big Tech&#039;s transparency to the test"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.axios.com\/E618Oz9p_yux57pGMh4TQjpb2SA=\/0x0:1920x1080\/1920x1080\/2026\/07\/09\/1783620898593.gif\" \/><\/p>\n<p>After years of touting ambitious climate goals, big tech companies are now facing new scrutiny over what they disclose about AI&#8217;s environmental footprint.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why it matters:<\/strong> The AI boom is turning a handful of tech companies into defining players in the debate over electricity and water use. Their willingness to disclose these impacts is becoming almost as important as the impacts themselves.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><strong>Driving the news<\/strong>: New environmental reports from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/06\/30\/google-ai-boom-emissions-power-use\" target=\"_blank\">Google<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/07\/01\/amazon-ai-emissions-data-centers\" target=\"_blank\">Amazon<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/07\/09\/microsoft-ai-data-centers-climate-goals\" target=\"_blank\">Microsoft<\/a> show emissions and water use continuing to rise as AI infrastructure expands \u2014 while revealing differences in what the companies disclose.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;There is a bit of a reluctance to share a lot of things in this competitive dynamic and also with these being public companies,&#8221; said Boris Gamazaychikov, who co-founded<strong> <\/strong>Sustainable AI Group, a new research and advisory firm that helps companies address the environmental impacts of AI.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>The big picture<\/strong>: Transparency is emerging as a key response to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/06\/22\/ai-data-center-backlash-poll\" target=\"_blank\">growing opposition<\/a> to AI focused on data centers&#8217; energy and water toll.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Meta account for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/06\/26\/amazon-google-microsoft-dominate-data-centers\" target=\"_blank\">roughly two thirds<\/a> of the data-center power capacity in a top 15 ranking by financial firm Jefferies, so what they do influences the entire market.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Friction point:<\/strong> United Nations Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres this week called on tech companies to publicly disclose the &#8220;full footprint&#8221; of their data centers, including carbon, water and land use.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;AI may feel intangible \u2014 but its footprint is not,&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/news.un.org\/en\/story\/2026\/07\/1167873\" target=\"_blank\">Guterres said<\/a>, reiterating the U.N.&#8217;s AI Environmental Transparency Initiative <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/climate-united-nations-london-guterres-cdba9edbe2081aec15b115d043b5f75c\" target=\"_blank\">unveiled<\/a> last month.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>State of play: <\/strong>Top executives at these tech companies generally say they support transparency, but their reporting varies widely once you dig into the disclosures. <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>No law requires companies to detail many of these AI-related environmental metrics, and no common reporting standard exists for those that are disclosed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>What they&#8217;re saying: <\/strong>Kara Hurst, the chief sustainability officer at Amazon, said in an interview before the UN announcement that all companies building data centers should disclose their environmental footprints.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;We&#8217;d love to see one holistic interoperable standard,&#8221; Hurst said.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Catch up fast:<\/strong> Comparing the companies&#8217; disclosures is a complicated apples-to-oranges exercise.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Alex de Vries-Gao, a researcher at VU Amsterdam university and founder of online platform Digiconomist, reviewed the latest disclosures and ranks them, on transparency alone, as Meta first, followed by Google and Microsoft in a &#8220;toss-up&#8221; for second, and Amazon last.<\/li>\n<li>Meta&#8217;s 2026 report is expected later this year, likely in the<strong> <\/strong>late summer or early fall.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Zoom in<\/strong>: Transparency doesn&#8217;t necessarily equal top performance, and no company leads across every measure, according to de Vries-Gao&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/pdf.sciencedirectassets.com\/776857\/1-s2.0-S2666389925X00027\/1-s2.0-S2666389925002788\/main.pdf?X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEMH%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FwEaCXVzLWVhc3QtMSJHMEUCIQD11RGLEqzCnW9zT8glhIzNdu42NjI2wQFZFdRPewsMHwIgHLNanCIpFyObrPlpb6VuwRdiiW3%2B90h8vNrYvmJy73gquwUIif%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FARAFGgwwNTkwMDM1NDY4NjUiDDKZS2P7ayCYr2lCJSqPBYZb24NtQzRT3xBR6oVA6c1tmqT2xxGnKSJ5cYe6%2BLF4oHihNazgnsuZWO8y24iv2k0gI6zyIofqzbw6p%2FRt1voLZhzB2XpoT9I6F%2BdfhDYTycS2mpr9087Rh1%2BE9KXmwNXjCcLrEFLsON7bVDPGvGfUnGcEonLhGTLqrwqSw1iysk0ftdYDbh90rRJYHCVC%2BZ%2F1yTp5CCn6ibf2EnnJR23T2GOzhDU2ri8enaOYwcmbeOUinD4tzxd3BEfqwPOk9b8d4JGRcHmkNd%2B5RoY2tZG0YLXhcuhKRbjRtghtVVmG4aNBg0n2ofAim1xY3AUxu1xgVwQ8BiWuFHFJy4hbGrg89kMwlAvpDFgV1FGHkdCIC7LqbwTgzvazRpBJ5stv17moGPIHF5lYj9KGQYaddUxpP5efNE2HmtksIbf4zqiKB1TszhIG%2FG8sRT43pwW19RnzSqoU3nni%2BjHYqibNpV5cgAFxbDj10PG6Qn9EWuWELp3Qllgx62OGg46oc38iMMNWY90aXvIRlyvuZJwj8hO11pNKUTHbw3lB6elo8pJE0aybWc7txw4SdN5PjI6dO%2BDvWF9AoIe52lBGiSxCHYoMShle0%2BQMpsSeUL3ZpTf8oGRRuJGtp2h1KSzNNb8XH9VrGs%2FyxI9YxyUzpitzn2RI2uXPqibTTPkbB%2FSfEcWFADPe0h8LvKrcw%2BGtQTN982%2FVrEKGswNIE8ZHmrYMO8LhoKk%2FlXGW1HpReIwRrijI2gsAY2mMxoOmkczd%2Fr8haeHFh4Tgp7cNjHDsf0oxVnPW0JlaUuy%2FoVdSnu49WdjLMnOzj527ijG2apBkL2IF7061hNoREsLq%2B8UsJ3q9WZeRzqhL8%2F2IcCiyQ2KD2Z4w8vC50gY6sQFkybr50E8AZ5pWJuOr3FSB%2BBh7f2%2BQ2TtYnR%2FXMwdcCKPxuhRSDRBidlsxOQQo%2BRX81N0VnThoWcK2shTiAvuCoqt4W29BB7UeOLvQtUI2fQwecWDsxn1p7fNFn1HECMZNNqH1zhjU3MqnW%2BH0kG%2Bgddw7Z9PN5Sz%2FO1ZoRba9cPwG655zpnfR3n8yovvnhuNQ%2BUKdwRtMIq4eGklzbleJF3dRmy%2BGmm%2BJZm8C8a06FiE%3D&amp;X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&amp;X-Amz-Date=20260708T172035Z&amp;X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&amp;X-Amz-Expires=300&amp;X-Amz-Credential=ASIAQ3PHCVTYWAUPAYB6%2F20260708%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&amp;X-Amz-Signature=dc1898f74ba2dcb6d3e8634f8ea10240907743cffaaa21abfe09dc7f0221a9e6&amp;hash=0e0e60e1396e7ef7b2ae3a6329feba14f000873ac1ffe4d7157ef42d72e0cb97&amp;host=68042c943591013ac2b2430a89b270f6af2c76d8dfd086a07176afe7c76c2c61&amp;pii=S2666389925002788&amp;tid=spdf-45299b11-4958-4563-a37a-28130eabb28c&amp;sid=f13589e32f2dd246480a1b5367f5073fce3cgxrqa&amp;type=client&amp;tsoh=d3d3LnNjaWVuY2VkaXJlY3QuY29t&amp;rh=d3d3LnNjaWVuY2VkaXJlY3QuY29t&amp;ua=0f15045159520c50050559&amp;rr=a180c2ae98bda385&amp;cc=us&amp;kca=eyJrZXkiOiJXUlVUdHVqdFVkK01DVjRRRm9xV0tZbGQ5MmdaZUl1RHNOcUM2UDAzcmRESFBzVEdjdWVEbHh3aFFZUkF5OFQ3VWFiQ2w1OWdUcUJJUy9DZnRzMy9kclpwVXE2Q0xXdWZqZ2pYOCtaUVlFcitGMWdKN3MzUUtDU3l2ZktzM3FFNmtTMVZhMEh3Ry9lMjkvYnNJNURDZ0NVRGNPTHkvZ1RicXJudnhNenRiZ1pvUFA4VCIsIml2IjoiMjNhMDNiMmQ3MDBlZTRlODlmY2JmMGI4MDZhMTM5MzgifQ%3D%3D_1783531448842\" target=\"_blank\">analysis<\/a> published earlier this year and these latest reports. <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Google and Meta disclose the strongest energy-efficiency metrics, according to the analysis.<\/li>\n<li>Microsoft newly disclosed specific water and power metrics at individual data center locations in its latest report, which de Vries-Gao said represents &#8220;a significant improvement in transparency.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Amazon reports the strongest water-efficiency figure, though it ranks last overall because it provides the fewest metrics, including how much electricity it consumes, de Vries-Gao said.<\/li>\n<li>Google doesn&#8217;t publish a companywide water-efficiency metric, arguing that a global average masks its local risk-based approach. Using Google&#8217;s own data, de Vries-Gao estimates it would rank last.<\/li>\n<li>Only Meta discloses the water associated with electricity generation \u2014 a potentially significant omission by the others<strong> <\/strong>because that use typically far exceeds water consumed at the data center itself.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Reality check:<\/strong> Disclosure is only one measure. Companies are also investing billions in clean-energy projects whose climate benefits could<strong> <\/strong>take years to materialize.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>On that front, Google is largely considered the leader, alongside Microsoft.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>How it works:<\/strong> AI infrastructure needs both electricity and cooling. As data centers expand, companies are increasingly trading water-intensive cooling for more energy-intensive alternatives.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Between the lines: <\/strong>Generating electricity from fossil fuels and nuclear power requires large amounts of water, and some experts say tech companies should account for that.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Judging by Meta&#8217;s 2025 disclosures, this indirect water use was roughly 24 times larger than the amount used at its data centers, de Vries-Gao <a href=\"https:\/\/pdf.sciencedirectassets.com\/776857\/1-s2.0-S2666389925X00027\/1-s2.0-S2666389925002788\/main.pdf?X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEMH%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FwEaCXVzLWVhc3QtMSJHMEUCIQD11RGLEqzCnW9zT8glhIzNdu42NjI2wQFZFdRPewsMHwIgHLNanCIpFyObrPlpb6VuwRdiiW3%2B90h8vNrYvmJy73gquwUIif%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FARAFGgwwNTkwMDM1NDY4NjUiDDKZS2P7ayCYr2lCJSqPBYZb24NtQzRT3xBR6oVA6c1tmqT2xxGnKSJ5cYe6%2BLF4oHihNazgnsuZWO8y24iv2k0gI6zyIofqzbw6p%2FRt1voLZhzB2XpoT9I6F%2BdfhDYTycS2mpr9087Rh1%2BE9KXmwNXjCcLrEFLsON7bVDPGvGfUnGcEonLhGTLqrwqSw1iysk0ftdYDbh90rRJYHCVC%2BZ%2F1yTp5CCn6ibf2EnnJR23T2GOzhDU2ri8enaOYwcmbeOUinD4tzxd3BEfqwPOk9b8d4JGRcHmkNd%2B5RoY2tZG0YLXhcuhKRbjRtghtVVmG4aNBg0n2ofAim1xY3AUxu1xgVwQ8BiWuFHFJy4hbGrg89kMwlAvpDFgV1FGHkdCIC7LqbwTgzvazRpBJ5stv17moGPIHF5lYj9KGQYaddUxpP5efNE2HmtksIbf4zqiKB1TszhIG%2FG8sRT43pwW19RnzSqoU3nni%2BjHYqibNpV5cgAFxbDj10PG6Qn9EWuWELp3Qllgx62OGg46oc38iMMNWY90aXvIRlyvuZJwj8hO11pNKUTHbw3lB6elo8pJE0aybWc7txw4SdN5PjI6dO%2BDvWF9AoIe52lBGiSxCHYoMShle0%2BQMpsSeUL3ZpTf8oGRRuJGtp2h1KSzNNb8XH9VrGs%2FyxI9YxyUzpitzn2RI2uXPqibTTPkbB%2FSfEcWFADPe0h8LvKrcw%2BGtQTN982%2FVrEKGswNIE8ZHmrYMO8LhoKk%2FlXGW1HpReIwRrijI2gsAY2mMxoOmkczd%2Fr8haeHFh4Tgp7cNjHDsf0oxVnPW0JlaUuy%2FoVdSnu49WdjLMnOzj527ijG2apBkL2IF7061hNoREsLq%2B8UsJ3q9WZeRzqhL8%2F2IcCiyQ2KD2Z4w8vC50gY6sQFkybr50E8AZ5pWJuOr3FSB%2BBh7f2%2BQ2TtYnR%2FXMwdcCKPxuhRSDRBidlsxOQQo%2BRX81N0VnThoWcK2shTiAvuCoqt4W29BB7UeOLvQtUI2fQwecWDsxn1p7fNFn1HECMZNNqH1zhjU3MqnW%2BH0kG%2Bgddw7Z9PN5Sz%2FO1ZoRba9cPwG655zpnfR3n8yovvnhuNQ%2BUKdwRtMIq4eGklzbleJF3dRmy%2BGmm%2BJZm8C8a06FiE%3D&amp;X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&amp;X-Amz-Date=20260708T172035Z&amp;X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&amp;X-Amz-Expires=300&amp;X-Amz-Credential=ASIAQ3PHCVTYWAUPAYB6%2F20260708%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&amp;X-Amz-Signature=dc1898f74ba2dcb6d3e8634f8ea10240907743cffaaa21abfe09dc7f0221a9e6&amp;hash=0e0e60e1396e7ef7b2ae3a6329feba14f000873ac1ffe4d7157ef42d72e0cb97&amp;host=68042c943591013ac2b2430a89b270f6af2c76d8dfd086a07176afe7c76c2c61&amp;pii=S2666389925002788&amp;tid=spdf-45299b11-4958-4563-a37a-28130eabb28c&amp;sid=f13589e32f2dd246480a1b5367f5073fce3cgxrqa&amp;type=client&amp;tsoh=d3d3LnNjaWVuY2VkaXJlY3QuY29t&amp;rh=d3d3LnNjaWVuY2VkaXJlY3QuY29t&amp;ua=0f15045159520c50050559&amp;rr=a180c2ae98bda385&amp;cc=us&amp;kca=eyJrZXkiOiJXUlVUdHVqdFVkK01DVjRRRm9xV0tZbGQ5MmdaZUl1RHNOcUM2UDAzcmRESFBzVEdjdWVEbHh3aFFZUkF5OFQ3VWFiQ2w1OWdUcUJJUy9DZnRzMy9kclpwVXE2Q0xXdWZqZ2pYOCtaUVlFcitGMWdKN3MzUUtDU3l2ZktzM3FFNmtTMVZhMEh3Ry9lMjkvYnNJNURDZ0NVRGNPTHkvZ1RicXJudnhNenRiZ1pvUFA4VCIsIml2IjoiMjNhMDNiMmQ3MDBlZTRlODlmY2JmMGI4MDZhMTM5MzgifQ%3D%3D_1783531448842\" target=\"_blank\">calculated<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;We don&#8217;t know whether that ratio is representative of the rest of the industry because the other companies don&#8217;t disclose comparable figures,&#8221; he said.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Not all environmental advocates <\/strong>agree this level of disclosure is warranted<strong>. <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;It&#8217;s probably not totally fair&#8221; to hold them accountable for water from associated electricity, said Peter Gleick, co-founder of the Pacific Institute, a California-based water research nonprofit. &#8220;But it&#8217;s a legitimate question and would accelerate a push to switch to low-water using renewable energy sources.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>What we&#8217;re watching<\/strong>: Gamazaychikov, of Sustainable AI Group, says pressure from these tech companies&#8217; customers, like consumer brands, will likely prompt more transparency and accountability in the absence of government action.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The bottom line: <\/strong>&#8220;I don&#8217;t think anything<strong> <\/strong>regulatory is going to happen soon,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It&#8217;s going to take business to make this happen.&#8221;<\/p>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After years of touting ambitious climate goals, big tech companies are now facing new scrutiny over what they disclose about AI&#8217;s environmental footprint. Why it matters: The AI boom is turning a handful of tech companies into defining players in the debate over electricity and water use. Their willingness to disclose these impacts is becoming&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4093,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/images.axios.com\/E618Oz9p_yux57pGMh4TQjpb2SA=\/0x0:1920x1080\/1920x1080\/2026\/07\/09\/1783620898593.gif","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4092","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-political-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4092","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4092"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4092\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4093"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4092"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4092"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4092"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}