Overview
- Microsoft, which Bloomberg reported Wednesday is debating its 2030 hour‑by‑hour clean‑power pledge, has not made a final decision.
- Microsoft told TechCrunch it is looking to keep its annual clean‑energy matching, a looser accounting method that does not line up use and supply each hour.
- The rapid buildout of AI data centers is pushing electricity demand to gigawatt scale, and Reuters notes a single gigawatt can power roughly 750,000 U.S. homes.
- To secure reliable capacity, Microsoft is lining up firm supplies that move faster than new renewables, including a planned West Texas natural‑gas plant with Chevron and Engine No. 1 that could reach 5 gigawatts.
- Altering the hour‑by‑hour goal could undercut Microsoft’s claim that its data centers run on clean power, which matters for communities worried about pollution and power costs.