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 the company has been doing with its carbon goals.

GUEST: Alastair Marsh

LINKS:
Microsoft Reconsiders Clean-Energy Pledge Made Harder by AI
How Microsoft Spooked the Global Carbon Removal Market
Microsoft will be carbon negative by 2030
6 projects that helped Microsoft meet its renewable energy goal 

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

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 &ndash; one that went farther than its existing net-zero emissions goal. But a lot can change in six years &hellip; 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 the company has been doing with its carbon goals.
GUEST: Alastair Marsh
LINKS:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-05-06/microsoft-considers-dropping-100-100-0-clean-energy-target?srnd=undefined">Microsoft Reconsiders Clean-Energy Pledge Made Harder by AI</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-22/how-microsoft-spooked-the-global-carbon-removal-market?srnd=undefined">How Microsoft Spooked the Global Carbon Removal Market</a></li>
<li><a href="https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2020/01/16/microsoft-will-be-carbon-negative-by-2030/">Microsoft will be carbon negative by 2030</a></li>
<li><a href="https://news.microsoft.com/source/features/sustainability/6-projects-that-helped-microsoft-meet-its-renewable-energy-goal/">6 projects that helped Microsoft meet its renewable energy goal </a></li>
</ul>
Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to&nbsp;<a href="kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes">kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes</a>
Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

Soundside

As Microsoft's investment in AI data centers expands, their goals of becoming carbon net negative have begun to decline. Bloomberg's Alastair Marsh joins Soundside to discuss.