Visual Capitalist August 12, 2024
Big Tech’s AI dreams are coming with a big energy price tag—technology companies and their data centers are consuming more electricity than countries with many millions of people.
We compare Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Apple’s 2023 electricity use against select countries. Data sourced from company reports and the U.S. Energy Information Administration (2022).
Ranking Tech Companies Energy Use vs. Select Countries
Google and Microsoft both consume more electricity (24 TWh) than countries like Jordan (population: 11 million) and Ghana (34 million).
| Country/Company | Electricity Use (TWh) | 2024 Population |
|---|---|---|
| 🇳🇬 Nigeria | 32 | 224M |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | 31 | 5M |
| 🇷🇸 Serbia | 31 | 7M |
| 24 | N/A | |
| 🏢 Microsoft | ...
Today's Sponsors
Today's Sponsor