Apple Intelligence puts Apple’s green promises to the test: Greenpeace issues a new warning

Greenpeace has issued a fresh warning about Apple Intelligence, Apple’s bundle of AI features. The group says the energy-hungry infrastructure behind Apple’s AI push, along with other next-generation services, could end up being the real test of Apple’s climate promises and its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030.

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Apple’s latest environmental reporting shows real progress: the company says it has cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than 60% since 2015. But its 2025 total was basically flat compared with 2024, and analysts say the last 15% to 20% will be the hardest to cut, especially if AI workloads end up using 11 times more electricity in 2030 than they did in 2023.

Apple says its data centers used 2.344 billion kWh in 2023 and have run on 100% renewable energy since 2014. Even so, rising demand still puts more strain on power grids and water resources, even with more processing happening on-device, more efficient custom silicon, and predictive cooling software that Apple says reduces fan energy use by 35%.

The company also says 30% of the materials in its 2025 products came from recycled or renewable sources, and that its Supplier Clean Energy Program generated more than 38 million MWh in 2025. But it’s still hard to fully judge Apple Intelligence, because Apple hasn’t published detailed energy and carbon figures for the service itself.

If you’ve been following Apple’s environmental record, this warning should catch your attention. Apple’s latest environmental report and Greenpeace’s statement are both available online.