By iliasd@diplomacy.edu
Publication Date: 2026-09-22 07:57:00
A new report estimates that operating Nvidia chips sold since 2022 could have generated millions of tonnes of carbon emissions in 2025.
The use of Nvidia chips sold since 2022 could have generated between four million and 21 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2025, according to a new report examining the climate footprint of the AI hardware industry.
The analysis, published by eight environmental and civil-society groups including Greenpeace International, Friends of the Earth, Beyond Fossil Fuels, and Stand.earth, estimates emissions from operating Nvidia processors based on cumulative chip sales, assumed utilisation, and different electricity-grid emissions factors. Nvidia does not currently disclose emissions associated with the use of its sold products, meaning the figures are estimates rather than company-reported emissions.
The report also points to a substantial increase in Nvidia’s supply-chain emissions. Figures compiled from the company’s sustainability reporting show Scope 3 emissions rising from around 1.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2020 to 10.7 million tonnes in 2026. The report attributes much of the increase to materials, components, and manufacturing associated with GPUs and AI systems.
Nvidia has argued that AI could ultimately reduce global emissions by improving efficiency in sectors such as energy. The report’s authors dispute whether those benefits will outweigh…
