Source URL: https://simonwillison.net/2025/Jun/10/sam-altman/#atom-everything
Source: Simon Willison’s Weblog
Title: Quoting Sam Altman
Feedly Summary: (People are often curious about how much energy a ChatGPT query uses; the average query uses about 0.34 watt-hours, about what an oven would use in a little over one second, or a high-efficiency lightbulb would use in a couple of minutes. It also uses about 0.000085 gallons of water; roughly one fifteenth of a teaspoon.)
— Sam Altman, The Gentle Singularity
Tags: sam-altman, generative-ai, ai-energy-usage, openai, chatgpt, ai, llms
AI Summary and Description: Yes
Summary: The provided text discusses the energy consumption and water usage associated with a single query made through ChatGPT. This insight is pertinent for professionals in AI, particularly regarding sustainability in AI applications and the environmental implications of operating large language models (LLMs).
Detailed Description: The text emphasizes the resource consumption of AI models, specifically focusing on ChatGPT. Understanding the energy and water usage of AI models is crucial for addressing sustainability challenges in AI deployment. The details noted in the quote can influence operational practices in AI development and encourage a focus on efficiency.
– **Energy Consumption**:
– A typical ChatGPT query uses approximately 0.34 watt-hours of energy.
– This energy usage is comparable to a household oven for about a second or a high-efficiency light bulb for a few minutes.
– **Water Usage**:
– Each query consumes about 0.000085 gallons of water, which translates to roughly one-fifteenth of a teaspoon.
These insights highlight the hidden costs of AI operations, drawing attention to the importance of developing eco-friendly AI technologies. Professionals in the fields of AI, cloud computing, and infrastructure security need to be cognizant of these metrics to inform more sustainable practices and optimize AI resource management, especially as the demand for generative AI tools increases.