Brad Smith asks "can we do it in the ways that we thought six years ago?" on Microsoft climate goals

Microsoft president Brad Smith told Bloomberg that the company is revisiting its environmental targets after recognizing that the rapid rollout of natural‑gas‑powered data centers for artificial‑intelligence workloads has pushed its 2030 carbon‑removal goal farther out than originally planned. Speaking at a interview that coincided with the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Smith also highlighted Microsoft’s push for third‑party reviews of AI systems, its participation in a joint safety board with OpenAI, and its support for multiple fail‑safe mechanisms that could allow governments to intervene if needed. He noted that Microsoft is expanding its presence in the Middle East, including a $1.5 billion stake in Emirati firm G42 and plans to use a large AI data center there, while acknowledging the need to adjust climate strategies in light of these developments.