Bar chart. Source: Epoch AI (2025), How much energy does ChatGPT use? Typical GPT-4o query: approximately 0.3 Wh; long-input estimate: approximately 2.5 Wh. Everyday-task comparisons reproduce the Epoch chart's cited assumptions: a 10 W bulb for five minutes, laptop use for five minutes, microwaving for 30 seconds, and average U.S. household use per minute. The 9 Wh GPT-5 Thinking row is an illustrative 30x scenario, calculated as 30 times 0.3 Wh, informed by University of Michigan reporting that reasoning models can generate 10–100 times more tokens; it is not a measurement of GPT-5.. Data table with 2 rows and 8 columns follows.
| Typical ChatGPT query (GPT-4o) | Running a 10 W lightbulb for 5 minutes | Using a laptop for 5 minutes | Long-input query (GPT-4o) | Illustrative GPT-5 Thinking scenario (30x; not measured) | Microwaving for 30 seconds | Average U.S. household use per minute | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy cost (Wh) | 0.3 | 0.83 | 1 | 2.5 | 9 | 8.3 | 19.4 |