Saturday, August 23, 2025

Exploring Google’s AI: The Minimal Energy Cost of Five Drops of Water or Just 9 Seconds of TV

A recent technical paper reveals that a single prompt on Google’s AI chatbot, Gemini, consumes approximately 0.24 watt-hours of energy, comparable to watching 9 seconds of TV, and emits about 0.03 grams of CO2. Additionally, each prompt requires around 0.26 milliliters of water. Google’s metrics account for not only AI prompt energy but also data center power and water cooling, asserting their efficiency is higher than public estimates. While a study indicated that OpenAI’s ChatGPT uses 2.9 watt-hours per prompt, Google’s AI energy consumption is cited as substantially lower. However, Google’s emissions have risen 51% since 2019, primarily due to hardware manufacturing. The company emphasizes that many studies focus solely on machine consumption, neglecting broader operational factors. Despite these challenges, Google claims its AI systems’ energy use and carbon footprint have improved significantly since August 2024. The overall query volume for Gemini remains undisclosed, limiting insights into total energy demand.

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