Nvidia chip use pollutes as much as a Russian coal giant, report says

illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day, reviewed by our editorial team. Read the full piece on Euronews or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: A new report from Greenpeace and other civil-society groups estimates that emissions from operating Nvidia chips sold since 2022 could have reached 4–21 million tonnes of CO₂ in 2025, depending on the electricity used. It also estimates Nvidia's Scope 3 emissions rose 725% since 2020, as the rapid expansion of AI increased demand across its manufacturing supply chain.

🔭 The context: Nvidia does not currently disclose emissions from the use of its sold products, so the 4–21 Mt estimate is modelled using chip sales, assumed utilisation and different electricity-grid emission factors. Nvidia argues that AI could ultimately reduce emissions through efficiency gains and applications across other sectors, while the report's authors say rapidly rising computing demand could outweigh those benefits.

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: AI hardware creates emissions both during semiconductor manufacturing and when chips consume electricity in data centres. The climate impact will depend increasingly on whether rapidly growing computing demand is powered by low-carbon electricity and whether AI delivers measurable emissions reductions elsewhere.

⏭️ What’s next: The researchers are calling for Nvidia to disclose use-phase emissions, provide stronger evidence for claims of a net climate benefit and set clearer targets for reducing supply-chain emissions, including through additional renewable-energy investment.

💬 One quote: “The journey so far on renewables is remarkable.” — This quote does not appear in the article; instead, Nvidia sustainability chief Josh Parker said AI is “most likely to lead to net emissions reductions” if deployed broadly.

📈 One stat: 725% — the reported increase in Nvidia's indirect Scope 3 emissions since 2020.

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