ScienceThe ConversationCould you survive without Microsoft? Inside the costs of digital dependence
Data centres already use 1.5% of global electricity and that figure could more than double by 2030, raising big questions about the true cost of our digital lives.
Digital choices have huge environmental costs but these are rarely counted up.
A new analysis highlights the enormous and growing environmental cost of digital dependence on a handful of big tech companies like Microsoft.
The IEA estimates data centres consumed 415 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2024 and projects that could reach 945 terawatt-hours by 2030, driven largely by AI.
As world leaders gather at Cop31 in Turkey, experts are calling for stronger accountability on tech companies' voluntary climate commitments.
Microsoft's own report showed a 25% rise in emissions in 2025, a reminder that everyday tools like email and cloud storage carry a real environmental footprint.
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