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ChatGPT 5 power consumption could be as much as eight times higher than GPT 4 — research institute estimates medium-sized GPT-5 response can consume up to 40 watt-hours of electricity (www.tomshardware.com)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/technology@lemmy.world
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The University of Rhode Island's AI lab estimates that GPT-5 averages just over 18 Wh per query, so putting all of ChatGPT's reported 2.5 billion requests a day through the model could see energy usage as high as 45 GWh.

A daily energy use of 45 GWh is enormous. A typical modern nuclear power plant produces between 1 and 1.6 GW of electricity per reactor per hour, so data centers running OpenAI's GPT-5 at 18 Wh per query could require the power equivalent of two to three nuclear power reactors, an amount that could be enough to power a small country.

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[–] 3 points 1 year ago* (6 children)

This figure is already not bad. 40 watt hours = 0.04kWh - you know kWh? That unit on your electric bill that is around $0.18 per kWh (and data centers tend to be in lower cost electric areas, closer to $0.11/kWh.) Still, 40Wh would register on your home electric bill at $0.0072, less than a penny. For comparison, an average suburban 4 ton AC unit draws 4kW - that 40Wh request? 1/100th of an hour of AC for your home, about 36 seconds of air conditioning. I don't know that this article is making anybody "look bad" in terms of power used.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (5 children)

    What exactly do you get for that power though?

    The point is that it's too much power for little gain in return.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago* (4 children)

    Arguably, a great deal more than the energy you lose from opening the door to your house in the summer, once while the A/C is running.

    Or, looking at it another way, an AI query+result can be just as valuable as a Tik Tok post / view.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (3 children)

    I consider TikTok harmful, so you are right about your last sentence.

    But my AC does not nor ever has actually consumed 4kW in an hour.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (2 children)

    The average (US suburban 2200sq ft) home's A/C does consume 4kW while it is cycled on, and in the hotter than normal months of summer it can run continuous duty cycle for hours on end.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (1 child)

    You need better insulation then. That's crazy. Also outdoor blinds.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago

    Me, personally, we have trees and shade. So many subdivisions don't, and they have dark colored roofs, and then homeowners do bone-headed things like adding "sun rooms" - lots of those in Houston.

    We get upset when our electric bill passes $300 for the month, but our neighbors with the 3500 sq ft? They never see it under $400.

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