Beijing – Data center and cloud computing providers in China maintained increased rates of renewable energy use through 2025, with some progress in corporate climate targets and disclosures, a new report by Greenpeace East Asia found. 

Greenpeace East Asia Beijing-based Project Manager Tang Damin said:

“It feels reassuring for now that many companies saw the percentage of renewable energy in their energy mixes continue to increase, even as AI data center energy demand is surging. Still, powering the waves of new computing infrastructure with renewable energy will be no small task for Chinese AI and data center companies. They will need to be strategic and resourceful to secure long-term, stable supplies of renewable energy.”

This report is part of Greenpeace East Asia’s decade-long Clean Cloud campaign on cloud computing and data center electricity consumption in China. Click here to read the Clean Cloud 2026 research briefing and here for 4 trends to better understand China’s data centers and their electricity demand.

Analyzing corporate disclosures, including ESG and sustainability reports, annual reporting, corporate official website, news reports, and third-party voluntary platforms, this report rated data center and cloud computing companies on renewable energy procurement and targets, decarbonization target and measures, and transparency, while also factoring in their influence on renewable energy market mechanisms and on the industry more broadly.

Key findings include:

  • Eight out of 25 companies reported achieving annual renewable energy ratios that exceeded 30% by August 2026. In our 2024 report, there was only one. Tencent had a 48.5% green electricity consumption ratio while GDS reached 60%.
  • 14 out of 25 companies have operational carbon neutrality targets.
  • 11 companies have set 100% renewable energy targets, but two of those are not explicitly aligned to 2030 or earlier. And Alibaba pledges to power 100% of its cloud computing operations with clean electricity by 2030. The other 13 companies have not publicly announced 100% renewable energy targets. 
  • Only Tencent and Alibaba Cloud committed to achieve scope 3 carbon neutrality by 2030, which includes upstream and downstream emissions in the supply chain. 
  • 13 companies disclosed some information on scope 3 emissions.

Greenpeace East Asia calls on data center and cloud computing companies in China to establish 2030 100% renewable energy targets; actively collaborate with grid companies, power generation companies, and power retailers to expand scale and proportion of corporate renewable energy consumption; prioritize direct emissions reductions and not rely on carbon offsets; drive suppliers to reduce emissions; and continue to improve disclosure of their environmental performance.

ENDS

Notes

Read the English briefing here.

Read the full report (in Chinese) here.

For media enquiries please contact:

Greenpeace International Press Desk, [email protected], +31 20 718 2470 (24 hours)