AI vs Google search energy comparison
A common claim says one AI prompt uses ten times the energy of a web search. That came from comparing 2.9 Wh with 0.3 Wh. With the newer figures from OpenAI and Google, the two are close.
Result
+219 WhExtra energy per year with your mix
- One AI prompt compared with one search
- × 1.13
- Search only, per year
- 3.29 kWh
- Your mix, per year
- 3.5 kWh
These are estimates. Real figures depend on the model, the data center and the length of the answer.
How this is calculated
- Google (2009). One web search uses about 0.3 Wh. The figure is old and is the only one Google has published. googleblog.blogspot.com
- OpenAI (2025). Sam Altman states an average ChatGPT query uses about 0.34 Wh and 0.32 mL of water. blog.samaltman.com
- Google (2025). A median Gemini text prompt uses 0.24 Wh, 0.03 g CO2e and 0.26 mL of water. arxiv.org
- IEA, Electricity 2024. Earlier estimate of 2.9 Wh per ChatGPT request, used here as the high case. iea.org
Questions
Does ChatGPT use 10 times more energy than Google?
With the figures published in 2025, an average ChatGPT query uses about 1.1 times the energy of a web search as Google measured it in 2009. The tenfold figure relied on an older 2.9 Wh estimate.
Is the search figure still valid?
It dates from 2009 and search has changed since, including AI summaries on the results page. Treat the comparison as an order of magnitude.