Google says its next data centers will be built alongside wind and solar farms

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Google partnering with energy companies to power future data centers
The next series of Google data centers would use solar and wind farms
Move is part of a $20 billion total investment

A new partnership between Google, energy firm Intersect Power, and climate solutions organization TPG Rise Climate, will look to to provide clean power for the company's future data centers.

As the demand for AI grows rapidly, tech companies are expanding their capabilities - but Google is making a positive step towards a sustainable future with on-site renewable energy sources for its data centers.

Data centers are notoriously causing energy consumptions to skyrocket, and at the current rate, are soon set to use more energy than we currently produce. This means that firms are having to weigh up the accelerated consumption and their sustainability goals.

A ‘power first’ approach

To help tackle this issue, Google is hoping to connect its data centers directly to solar and wind farms, instead of the existing power grid which overwhelmingly uses fossil fuels. This would also ease the burden on the already weakened power grid, and would improve reliability for energy customers.

The first phase of this infrastructure development is expected to be operational by 2026, and amounts to a $20 billion investment in all. In future, where possible, Google will build data centers on campuses equipped with their own clean power, in ‘co-located industrial parks’.

Google hopes this will be a ‘blueprint for the future’, and allow the firm to expand its digital infrastructure in a sustainable way. It looks unlikely that AI will be any less power-intensive for the foreseeable future, so creating sustainable solutions will be key.

“To realize AI’s potential, the growth in electricity demand must be met with new, clean power sources.” said Amanda Peterson Corio, Global Head of Data Center Energy at Google.

”The scale of AI presents an opportunity to completely rethink data center development — by co-locating them where possible with the grid-connected carbon-free energy that keeps them up and running,”

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Ellen has been writing for almost four years, with a focus on post-COVID policy whilst studying for BA Politics and International Relations at the University of Cardiff, followed by an MA in Political Communication. Before joining TechRadar Pro as a Junior Writer, she worked for Future Publishing’s MVC content team, working with merchants and retailers to upload content.