China's cloud companies show how big tech is far from green

Data centers continue to rely on polluting energy sources, Greenpeace says

20210422 Coal-fired power plant in China.jpg

 A coal-fired power plant in China.  Greenpeace East Asia says: “China’s internet sector is powered primarily by coal, and the industry’s energy consumption continues to rise.”  © Kyodo

MATTHEW WALSH and FLYNN MURPHY, Caixin

China's largest internet companies continue to rely mostly on polluting energy sources to power their cloud computing and data centers, according to a new scorecard on their green credentials published by an environmental group.

Tencent Holdings ranked first among China's nine biggest cloud providers for its transparency and use of more renewable power, though its score of 61 out of 100 was little cause for celebration. The country's largest cloud provider, Alibaba Group Holding, fell out of the top spot this year, slipping to fourth.

Sponsored Content

About Sponsored ContentThis content was commissioned by Nikkei's Global Business Bureau.