Nvidia’s Chip-Use Emissions May Equal Those of a Russian State Coal Producer

A new study released by eight climate and corporate-accountability groups—including Greenpeace International, Friends of the Earth, Beyond Fossil Fuels and Stand.earth—estimates that the electricity used to run Nvidia graphics processing units (GPUs) sold since 2022 could generate between four and 21 million tonnes of carbon-dioxide (CO2) in 2025. The authors say this range is comparable to the annual emissions from Russian state-owned coal company Russian Coal. The analysis also notes that Nvidia’s Scope 3 supply-chain emissions have risen 725 % since 2020, adding roughly 9.4 million tonnes of CO2 to its climate footprint.

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• Nvidia’s own sustainability reports show Scope 3 emissions increasing from about 1.3 million tonnes CO2-equivalent in 2020 to 10.7 million tonnes in 2026.

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• The study’s estimate of use-phase emissions (2025) is based on cumulative chip sales, assumed utilisation rates and regional electricity-grid emission factors.

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• Researchers cite Princeton University research indicating that “demand-response” measures by data centres would offset less than 1 % of annual electricity consumption in high-growth scenarios.

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Nvidia’s head of sustainability, Josh Parker, told the climate news outlet Heatmap that “the very rapidly growing consensus is that AI is most likely to lead to net emissions reductions, especially if it’s deployed broadly.” He also referenced analyses from the International Energy Agency, World Economic Forum, Boston Consulting Group and the Grantham Institute that suggest AI could improve energy efficiency across sectors. Nvidia reports its emissions under Scope 3 and argues that data-centre “demand response” can temporarily reduce grid load during peak periods, presenting this flexibility as a contribution to the energy transition.

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• “The biggest AI profiteer also has one of the world’s most obscured and opaque climate footprints,” — Ketan Joshi, lead author of the report and an Oslo-based climate and energy analyst

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• “The very rapidly growing consensus is that AI is most likely to lead to net emissions reductions, especially if it’s deployed broadly,” — Josh Parker

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• “Europe is being sold a fantasy of ‘green’ AI while Big Tech drives a massive build-out of emission-pumping data centres and fossil-fuel infrastructure,” — Jill McArdle, an international corporate campaigner at Beyond Fossil Fuels

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• “Calling this a climate-friendly technology revolution doesn’t make it one — it’s greenwashing designed to secure Big Tech’s profits while locking Europe into more gas and energy dependence,” — Mcardle, an international corporate campaigner at Beyond Fossil Fuels

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