Google and Microsoft face fresh criticism over AI data center plans

Google has been accused of clearing 300 hectares of Finnish forest for an AI data center before an environmental-impact assessment was finished, according to the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation.

Critics also say Microsoft's wetland and garden restoration around its Texas data centers masks their effects, with Public Citizen calling the plan "lipstick on a pig" and noting the sites would draw power from gas plants.

Microsoft's own estimates show its emissions rose 25% in 2025, driven mainly by data center expansion.