Altman: 38,000 ChatGPT queries use about as much water as one California almond
rohanpaul_ai · x · 2026-09-03
Sam Altman pushed back on the "AI drinks too much water" narrative on the Sources Podcast with Alex Heath.
Key claims:
- "For every 38,000 ChatGPT queries, that is the same amount of water used in the production of a single almond in California."
- Data centers once used evaporative cooling, but "have not done that in a long time."
- A modern, very large data center uses about as much water as an office building — mostly sinks and toilets for staff.
These figures conflict with several academic estimates of AI water use; the numbers remain contested and unverified by third parties.
Related event: Altman: 38,000 ChatGPT Queries Use Less Water Than One California Almond(11 posts)→
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