Google Sustainability News, Milestones, Cloud Partnerships and Net Zero Timeline

Google, owned by Alphabet, is striving to achieve net zero emissions across all operations and value chain by 2030. At the same time, Google Cloud's goal is to run on carbon-free energy, 24/7, across all data centers by 2030. The overall effort includes cloud-centric sustainability partnerships.

Google's net zero efforts -- led by Chief Sustainability Officer Kate Brandt (pictured, top of page) -- don't end there. The company, driven by CEO Sundar Pichai, also develops cloud-based sustainability software tools for partners and customers to leverage. And the Google Startups for Sustainable Development program supports a global ecosystem of impact-focused startups. The program builds community and supports startups with advisors, funding, and platform technology.

The timeline below, updated regularly, further explains Google's sustainability strategy, key milestones, customer engagements, partner integrations and more. Check back regularly for updates.

April 2024: Sustainability Strategy and Partnerships

Multiple updates...

• Software Updates: Google Maps and Google Search updates will allow users to "find convenient public transit and walking routes, see alternatives to air travel and better understand the estimated emissions of flights," according to James Byers, group product manager for Google Search.
• AI, Energy Efficiency and Axion Processors: Amid growing concerns about generative AI's energy needs, Google Cloud plans to roll out energy efficient Axion processors sometime in 2024, according to Amin Vahdat, VP and GM for machine learning, systems and Cloud AI at Google.
• Partners at Google Cloud Next 2024: Numerous partners discussed sustainability at the Google Cloud Next 2024 conference in Las Vegas. The chatter involved such partners and customers as: Carrefour, Devoteam, EA Sports, Hudbay Minerals, Intel, L'Oreal, MongoDB, MSCI, Pachama, Perennial, Pythian, Rent the Runway and Woolpert.

March 2024: Sustainability Strategy and Partnerships

• Funding: Verrus, backed by Google parent Alphabet, has emerged from stealth mode to help customers solve data center scalability and sustainability challenges -- especially in the age of generative AI application workloads.
• Satellites and Methane Emissions: MethaneSAT -- a new satellite backed by Google and the Environmental Defense Fund group -- launched from California with a mission to pinpoint oil and gas industry methane emissions from space, Reuters reported. SpaceX managed the launch.

February 2024: Sustainability Strategy and Partnerships

• Financial Services and Cloud Software: HSBC has partnered with Google to finance fast-growing climate technology firms behind some of the world's most promising solutions to global climate change, Rueters reported. Under terms of the partnership, HSBC will look to provide financing to companies cherry-picked by the U.S. technology giant to join its Google Cloud Ready-Sustainability program, Reuters said.
• Funding - Carbon Capture Technology: Google co-founder Sergey Brin and Alphabet's moonshot lab X are betting on 280 Earth, a startup that leverages industrial waste heat to power machines that suck carbon out of the air, Bloomberg reported.
• Power Purchase Agreement: Google has signed its largest ever power purchase agreement (PPA) with offshore wind projects off the coast of the Netherlands as part of efforts to green its power supply and hit climate targets, Reuters said.

January 2024: Sustainability Strategy and Partnerships

Multiple Updates...

• IT Consulting, Cloud Services and Generative AI: Global IT consulting firm Deloitte has launched the Geospatial and AI Platform for Scenario Planning and Monitoring. The solution is powered by Google Earth integrations, Google Earth Engine (GEE) and Generative AI technology from Vertex AI. The solution can help customers to "leverage AI and geospatial data to take action on sustainability and climate as they work toward positive economic, social and environmental outcomes," Deloitte said.
• United Kingdom - Google Data Center: Google will invest $1 billion to build a data center in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire. The new facility will be ready for off-site heat recovery, and will deploy an air-based cooling solution, Google said.
• Partnership - Clean Electricity Management: Flexidao and Google are collaborating to scale clean electricity portfolio management and 24/7 carbon-free energy matching processes, the companies said.
• FTC Investigates Generative AI Partnerships: The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has ordered OpenAI, Microsoft, Google's Alphabet, Amazon and Anthropic to provide information on recent investments and partnerships involving generative AI companies and cloud service providers, Reuters reported.
• Chip Lawsuit Settlement: Google settled a patent infringement lawsuit involving chips that power the company's AI technology, Reuters reported.
• Partnership - Clean Electricity Management: Flexidao and Google are collaborating to scale clean electricity portfolio management and 24/7 carbon-free energy matching processes, the companies said.
• Right to Repair: Google reaffirmed its support for the Right to Repair movement by releasing a related white paper and endorsing proposed Oregon Right to Repair legislation that offers a compelling model for other states to follow, the company said.
• Solar-Powered Devices: Ambient Photonics and Google plan to launch a solar-powered device featuring Ambient’s bifacial solar cell technology, the companies said at the CES 2024 conference. Related: See more CES 2024 sustainability news here.

More: Continue to the next page for additional Google sustainability strategy updates, and associated partner engagements.