ChatGPT Electricity Consumption: Insights into Energy Use

Did you know? ChatGPT electricity consumption is remarkably high, with a single query using approximately ten times more energy than a standard Google search. As more people turn to AI, the chatbot handles billions of inquiries each day, drastically increasing energy consumption.

According to a study conducted by BestBrokers, a financial research platform, ChatGPT’s annual electricity consumption stands at 22,150 gigawatt-hours (GWh). This quantity can manage about 1.17 trillion queries annually. To illustrate, this energy surpasses the total consumption of entire nations each year.

ChatGPT’s Trillion Queries

The report reveals that ChatGPT has amassed 900 million active users each week, which includes over 50 million paid subscribers. These individuals are expected to generate approximately 3.2 billion queries every day, based on an average of 25 prompts per user per week.

To handle this considerable number of prompts, ChatGPT utilises around 60.7 gigawatt-hours of electricity daily. For comparison, this amount of power is comparable to that used by a mid-sized country each day.

The data indicated that the average household in the U.S. consumes about 29 kilowatt-hours daily. Thus, ChatGPT’s annual energy consumption could easily meet the electricity needs of 2.11 million households. Each day, ChatGPT’s power usage rivals that of countries like Puerto Rico or Croatia.

ChatGPT Electricity Consumption and GPT-5 Model

The findings further indicate that OpenAI’s latest GPT-5 model, launched in August 2025, consumes up to eight times more energy than its predecessor. Each medium-length prompt demands between 2 to 45 watts.

Given the complex capabilities of the GPT-5 model—engineered to tackle PhD-level scientific challenges, intricate coding tasks, and multi-step reasoning—it requires a considerable amount of computing power for internal reasoning processes.

Comparative Electricity Consumption

The analysis compared ChatGPT’s electricity usage to household consumption, smartphone energy demands, national electricity usage, and electric vehicle (EV) charging.

In the U.S., the average household reportedly uses around 10,500 kWh annually. In contrast, ChatGPT’s annual energy consumption could power over 2.11 million American homes for a full year.

Furthermore, ChatGPT is capable of charging approximately 4.23 billion iPhones daily for an entire year, demonstrating its vast energy needs.

BestBrokers also evaluates the revenue generated from OpenAI’s subscription tiers and its ability to manage substantial electricity bills. It is estimated that OpenAI generates roughly $1.3 billion from paid subscriptions each month, equating to about $15.8 billion annually.

This suggests that the yearly electricity expenses for processing user queries could be offset by less than three months of subscription income. This underlines the success of the business model, even as energy demands continue to rise.