Archive · 11 Jun 2025
OpenAI CEO Reveals ChatGPT's Water and Energy Usage
When you ask ChatGPT a question, it uses a little bit of energy and water.
OpenAI's boss, Sam Altman, said each question uses as much energy as a lightbulb for a few minutes, and a tiny amount of water.
He shared this information because people are interested in how much energy AI uses.
Altman thinks AI will get better and be able to do more things soon.
Sam Altman, OpenAI CEO, disclosed ChatGPT's energy and water consumption.
Each ChatGPT query uses approximately 0.34 watt-hours of electricity.
Each query also uses approximately 0.000085 gallons of water.
Altman's disclosure addresses growing interest in AI sustainability.
Altman predicts advancements in AI capabilities in the coming years.
- Who
- OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
- What
- ChatGPT queries consume 0.34 watt-hours of electricity and 0.000085 gallons of water.
- When
- Recent, in a blog post.
- Where
- Information shared publicly via a blog post.
- Why
- To address public interest in AI sustainability and environmental impact.
- Electricity per query
- 0.34 watt-hours
- Water per query
- 0.000085 gallons
- Source
- Sam Altman, OpenAI CEO
Sources
This is how much energy a single search query consumes on ChatGPT, reveals CEO Sam Altman
Sam Altman Says a ChatGPT Query Uses ‘One Fifteenth of a Teaspoon’ of Water
How Much Water And Energy Does A ChatGPT Query Use? OpenAI’s Sam Altman Breaks It Down
