Sam Altman Defends ChatGPT's Water Use, Says It Takes 38,000 Queries To Match One Almond
As scrutiny grows over the environmental cost of the data centres powering AI, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has pushed back against what he calls exaggerated claims about how much water ChatGPT actually consumes. Sam Altman's almond comparison Speaking on the Sources podcast, Altman said that roughly 38,000 ChatGPT queries use about as much water as it takes to grow a single California almond. He was…
As the environmental impact of AI data centers draws attention, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has defended the water consumption of ChatGPT against what he describes as exaggerated claims. On the Sources podcast, Altman proposed that approximately 38,000 ChatGPT queries consume a comparable amount of water to the cultivation of a single California almond.
He acknowledged that he recalled this figure and it might be inaccurate but maintained it was roughly accurate. Altman also criticized viral comparisons that equate a single ChatGPT query with hours of showering, arguing that such assertions lose their validity upon closer inspection. The actual water usage of a single ChatGPT query is estimated to be around 0.32 millilitres.
Moreover, a 2019 study estimated that growing a single California almond requires approximately 3.56 litres of water. When compared, this puts the ratio closer to 11,000 ChatGPT queries per almond, significantly lower than Altman's cited figure of 38,000. Altman also challenged the notion that modern data centers consume water in the same way older facilities did.
He stated that the routine water usage of a large modern data center, including its sinks and toilets, can be on par with that of a standard office building. Despite this, water use in data centers remains a concern, particularly in regions facing water scarcity.
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