38,000 ChatGPT queries use about as much water as one California almond
TansuYegen · x · 2026-09-06
Citing a quantified comparison, Tansu Yegen notes that every 38,000 ChatGPT queries consume roughly the same amount of water as producing a single almond in California. The framing matters: it reframes "AI is just software" as a resource question — water for cooling, power for compute, and real infrastructure constraints. At massive query volumes, efficiency becomes a core product feature rather than an afterthought.
Related event: Altman: 38,000 ChatGPT queries use as much water as one California almond(2 posts)→
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