Overview
- Microsoft, which was reported Wednesday by Bloomberg to be debating a delay or rollback of its 2030 100/100/0 pledge, has not announced a decision.
- A company spokesperson said it is still looking for ways to keep an annual clean-energy matching goal, which is less strict than hour-by-hour matching on the same grid.
- The AI buildout is driving huge power needs, with Microsoft adding about a gigawatt of data center capacity every three months and planning about $190 billion in spending through year-end.
- To secure steady supply, Microsoft struck a 2024 deal tied to restarting a Three Mile Island nuclear unit and has held talks about a large natural gas plant in West Texas.
- Microsoft reports a 23.4% rise in total emissions since 2020 and a 168% jump in energy use, and analysts warn the sector could lean more on gas as data center loads grow.