Studies estimate that an AI model like ChatGPT-4 consumes around 2.9 Wh (watt-hours) per query for inference (i.e., generating responses).
Assuming 1 user uses the service 10 times per week:-
400 million users × 10 queries per user = 4 billion queries per week
4 billion queries × 2.9 Wh per query = 11.6 billion Wh
11.6 billion Wh = 11.6 GWh (gigawatt-hours) per week
11.6 GWh × 52 weeks = 603.2 GWh per year
This is roughly equivalent to the annual energy consumption of 55,000 U.S. homes
(based on an average of 10.9 MWh per home per year).
If the electricity comes from fossil fuels (~400 g CO per kWh), then:
603.2 GWh × 400 g/kWh = 241,280 metric tons of CO per year
This is equivalent to the emissions from 52,000 gasoline-powered cars annually.
This is just for chatgpt.