Nvidia's Chip-Use Emissions on Par with Russian Coal Producer

A report by Greenpeace East Asia estimates that Nvidia's chip-use emissions could be on par with those from burning coal sold by Russian state-owned company Russian Coal.

The report, which was published by eight climate and corporate accountability groups, found that operating Nvidia chips sold since 2022 could have generated between four and 21 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2025, depending on the electricity used to power them.

Nvidia's supply chain emissions have risen by 725% since 2020, with an increase of around 9.4 million tonnes, according to the report. The authors attribute this rise primarily to upstream emissions from producing the components, materials, and manufacturing services required for Nvidia's GPUs and AI systems.

Ketan Joshi, lead author of the report and an Oslo-based climate and energy analyst, said that 'the biggest AI profiteer also has one of the world's most obscured and opaque climate footprints.'