Google Reveals Energy Use of Gemini AI Prompts
Summary
Google publishes estimated energy consumption, water use, and carbon emissions for Gemini AI prompts, revealing a median energy use of 0.24 watt-hours per query.
Key quotes
Google has just released a technical report detailing how much energy its Gemini apps use for each query... The median prompt consumes 0.24 watt-hours of electricity.
The AI chips account for just 58% of the total electricity demand, while CPU, memory, backup equipment, and data center overhead account for the rest.
The median Gemini prompt used 33 times more energy in May 2024 than it did in May 2025, thanks to advancements in models and software optimizations.
People shouldn’t have major concerns about the energy usage or water usage of Gemini models... it’s equivalent to things like watching a few seconds of TV or consuming five drops of water.
Google’s emissions per unit of electricity on paper are roughly one-third of those on the average grid where it operates, due to clean energy purchases.
This article from MIT Technology Review highlights Google’s groundbreaking transparency in disclosing the energy, water, and carbon footprint of its Gemini AI system. The report provides detailed estimates for 0.24 watt-hours of electricity consumption per median prompt, along with insights into the breakdown of energy usage across hardware and infrastructure. The disclosure aims to reassure users about the environmental impact of AI interactions while emphasizing the efficiency gains achieved over time.