UsesLevel 2 of 6 machine operationMachine operation, level 2 of 6Used to calculate 2 entries, level 3Calculated with 2 entries, levels 1 and 2Database structure 
6Territories
5Organisations
4Occupations and activities
3Uses
1Calculation factorsAnalyse an uploaded image
The server electricity used to read a photo sent to an assistant. Projet Celsius estimate.
- The calculation covers the model reading the image, counted as tokens read.
- Out of scope: the written response, counted in the task, data centre cooling and server manufacturing.
Sentence to citeAnalyse an uploaded image, Projet Celsius estimate: 0.16 gCO2e per image, for 0.35 Wh of electricity, servers worldwide (458 gCO2e/kWh).
- Calculated with
- Used to calculate
How the calculation is built
The model splits it into about 1,100 image tokens, which it reads like text. Publishers disclose this splitting, from 765 to 1,300 tokens per megapixel, but not the electricity.
Comparison with the other machine operations
Characteristics
| Unit | 1 image |
|---|---|
| Default location | world, 458 gCO2e/kWh (Ember 2025, life cycle); 11 other locations to choose from |
| Counted | the model reading the image, counted as tokens read |
| Not counted | the written response, counted in the task, data centre cooling and server manufacturing |
| Status | estimated, 1 other published value |
All the characteristics
| Identifier | IA-0017, projetcelsius.com/en/ai/database/IA-0017/ |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.1 of 2 November 2026 |
| Category | Machine operations, what the server computes |
| Choice of the selected value | database calculation from the entries this one is made of, at the quantities of the unit |
| Sources | calculation of the database |
| Licence | CC BY 4.0 |
Usage parameters
Advanced settings
Result for the chosen case
Breakdown by item
Quantity, unit value, contribution and nature of the data for each item
| Item | Quantity | Unit value | Contribution | Share | Nature of the data |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Read 1,000 tokens | × 1.1 | 0.32 Wh | 0.35 Wh | 100 % | convention |
Entries that use it (2)
Sources of the calculation
3 publications, for this entry and those used to calculate it, with the chosen parameters.
The result is calculated by Projet Celsius. The sources below support its uses, its factors and its conversion; they do not all measure this total.
Uses and assumptions
These publications shed light on AI tasks and uses. They do not measure the carbon footprint of the case calculated.
Anthropic · 2026
Role and limits : Anthropic
What the publication covers. tokens of an image according to its size: one patch of 28 × 28 pixels per token, 1,296 for a megapixel
What it does not cover. electricity
Reading by the database. The publisher's billing rule
Analyse an image → : Read 1,000 tokens →
The photo cut into about 1,100 image tokens, read as text
Scope of the figure used. server, excluding the data centre
Limit. The quantity and the share entrusted to AI are database assumptions, not a measured footprint.
Analyse an image → : Read 1,000 tokens →
Length convention: a photo sent to an AI
Scope of the figure used. A one-megapixel photo, cut into image patches: 765 tokens at OpenAI for GPT-4o, 1,032 at Google, 1,229 for recent OpenAI models, 1,296 at Anthropic
Limit. This publication supports the quantity of text or content processed, not its carbon footprint.
Energy and factors
The references of the selected values and of the entries used in this calculation.
Watershed · Aug. 2026
Estimating GHG Emissions from AI Use: Framework for Corporate-Level Measurement ↗ (new tab)
Role and limits : Watershed
Author. Bistline, Ulissi, Davis, Glidden, Joyce, Li, Mohsenin and Suh (Watershed)
What the publication covers. factors per 1,000 tokens read and written at the server before PUE (host and standby machines included), PUE separate (1.10 for a large operator, 1.56 for an unknown operator)
What it does not cover. clean measurements, the model and the hardware
Reading by the database. Default factors proposed for review (public data as of June 2026); for a large operator, taken from Google's measurement published in 2025 (Elsworth et al.), which already contains the data centre overhead; constant per token, they underestimate long contexts and agents according to the authors
Reference for the variant "Medium model, Watershed default factor"
Scope of the figure used. Default factor for 1,000 tokens read, medium model, large operator, at the server before PUE (Watershed table 2, public data as of June 2026)
Limit. A default value that Watershed derives from Google's measurement (0.24 Wh for the median text query of the Gemini app), with about 500 tokens per query and a written token costing 3 times a read token; Watershed does not give the split between read and written tokens. The 0.24 Wh already include the overhead of Google's data centre (0.02 Wh, 8%): with 375 tokens read and 125 written, the simplest reading, the factor contains it, and the PUE of 1.10 applied afterwards counts it a second time (about 9%). Values proposed for review, final at the next version of the framework
Conversion into carbon
The source of the electricity factor of the selected location.
Worldwide: 458 gCO2e/kWh, life cycle.
Role and limits : Ember
Author. Ember, Our World in Data
What the publication covers. electricity generation over the life cycle, by country
What it does not cover. guarantees of origin
Reading by the database. The same source for all countries
Conversion of electricity into carbon: worldwide
Scope of the figure used. the production of electricity over the life cycle, including power plant construction and fuels
Limit. An average for the chosen country, not the electricity contract or the data centre of a specific service.
Published values
1 figure for the same quantity, each within its own scope.
| Source | Date | Electricity | What the figure measures | Scope | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Analyse an imageselected by the database, v0.1 | 2026 | 0.352 Wh | the value selected by the database | same scope | estimated |
| ML.ENERGY, benchmark v3 ↗The ML.ENERGY Leaderboard v3, données par tâche | Feb. 2026 | 0.0636 Wh | Gemma 3 27B, one image and its response of about 520 tokens, 2 H100 cards, 64 queries at a time, card alone | other scope | measured |
The published figures do not all count the same scope; the scope of each figure is written next to it. Why do the estimates diverge?
Nature of the data
Published readings, conventions, assumptions
- database conventions 100 %
Calculation assumptions
Quantities, nature and source of each assumption
Read 1,000 tokens : × 1.1
The photo cut into about 1,100 image tokens, read as text
Methodology conventions
With their alternatives
| The default location | Without other information, the servers are in the world, at the world average electricity |
|---|---|
| Electricity, location-based, on a life cycle basis | The kilowatt-hour is that of the servers' country, on a life cycle basis, from a single source for all countries |
| Two significant figures | A calculated value is rounded to two significant figures, a published value is reproduced with the precision of its source; the calculation keeps full precision |
| The formula | the sum of what makes up the entry, then CO2e: electricity (Wh) multiplied by the carbon intensity of the server location (gCO2e/kWh), divided by 1,000 |
| Calculate a case without an entry | The formula, the default values and a step-by-step example |
History
Entry in version 0.1 of 2 November 2026, in the database in version 0.4
- 2 November 2026Version 0.1 of the entry, as of the date of its current value.
- 31 October 2026Creation of the database, in its first version (0.1).
