Microsoft set ambitious climate goals. AI is making them hard to meet.

Soundside · May 12, 2026 · 22m

In 2021, Microsoft set an aggressive emissions goal:

100 percent of its electricity would come from renewable sources or be matched by zero-carbon energy purchases, 100 percent of the time.

This was a big pledge – one that went farther than its existing net-zero emissions goal. But a lot can change in six years … Now, the company appears to be weighing a retreat.

According to recent reporting by Bloomberg, Microsoft is considering delaying or dropping its 100 percent renewable electricity pledge because of energy intensive data center build outs.

This isn't the only scaling back…