UsesLevel 2 of 6 machine operationMachine operation, level 2 of 6Used to calculate 4 entries, level 3Calculated with 1 entry, level 1Database structure 
6Territories
5Organisations
4Occupations and activities
3Uses
1Calculation factorsGenerate an image
The electricity of an image produced by an open generator, measured on the server's GPU, processor and memory.
- Selected reference: Standard image, from 512 to 1,024 pixels per side, source Luccioni et al.
- The electricity range goes from 1.4 Wh to 11 Wh, within the scope of this entry.
- CO2e is calculated from electricity and the worldwide grid; it is not a direct measurement of carbon.
- Out of scope: data centre cooling, server manufacturing and model training.
Sentence to citeGenerate an image: 1.3 gCO2e per image, for 2.91 Wh of electricity, servers worldwide (458 gCO2e/kWh).
- Calculated with
- Used to calculate
Origin of the value
The database distinguishes 2 sizes: the standard image, the average of 8 open generators from 2022 and 2023, from 512 to 1,024 pixels per side, and the large image of 4 megapixels, about 4 times more costly.
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 server's GPU, processor and memory |
| Not counted | data centre cooling, server manufacturing and model training |
| Status | measured, 1 reading with the same scope |
All the characteristics
| Identifier | IA-0013, projetcelsius.com/en/ai/database/IA-0013/ |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.3 of 2 November 2026 |
| Category | Machine operations, what the server computes |
| Model size | Standard image, from 512 to 1,024 pixels per side (1.3 gCO2e), Large image, about 4 megapixels (5.3 gCO2e) |
| Choice of the selected value | value taken as it stands from its source, without calculation |
| Sources | Luccioni et al., 2024 |
| Licence | CC BY 4.0 |
Result for the chosen case
This block is made of no other: its value is read from its sources.
Entries that use it (4)
Create an image, Create a large image, Retouch a photo, Visual in 4 attempts
Sources of the calculation
2 publications, for this entry and those used to calculate it, with the chosen parameters.
Energy and factors
The references of the selected values and of the entries used in this calculation.
Luccioni et al. · October 2024
Role and limits : Luccioni et al.
Author. Luccioni, Jernite and Strubell
What the publication covers. GPU, processor, memory
What it does not cover. data centre
Reading by the database. Open models only
Reference for the variant "Standard image, from 512 to 1,024 pixels per side"
Scope of the figure used. Average of the open models tested, 1,000 images; median 1.35 Wh, maximum 11.49 Wh
Limit. Open models only; closed generators publish nothing
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
2 figures for the same quantity, each in its own scope.
Electricity
| Source | Date | Electricity | What the figure measures | Scope | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Generate an imageselected by the database, v0.3 | 2026 | 2.91 Wh | the range published by the source: from 1.35 Wh to 11.5 Wh | same scope | measured |
| Luccioni, Jernite and Strubell ↗Power Hungry Processing | Oct. 2024 | 2.91 Wh | Average of the open models tested, 1,000 images; median 1.35 Wh, maximum 11.49 Wh | same scope | measured |
Multiplier
| Source | Date | Multiplier | What the figure measures | Scope | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bertazzini et al. ↗The Hidden Cost of an Image | June 2025 | × 1.61 | Image of 1,024 × 1,024 pixels versus 512 × 512, 4 times more pixels: median of the 17 generators tested, from 0.99 to 4.75 | 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?
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 |
| Calculate a case without an entry | The formula, the default values and a step-by-step example |
Uses in the hub
Charts, figures, analyses and articles that cite this entry
History
Entry in version 0.3 of 2 November 2026, in the database in version 0.4
- 13 November 2026Description : the standard one-megapixel image becomes the standard image, average of 8 open generators from 2022 and 2023, from 512 to 1,024 pixels per side.Same correction as for IA-0046 on 11/11: Luccioni et al. mainly measure images of 512 × 512 pixels; the value (2.907 Wh) does not change.
- 2 November 2026Designation : An image from an open generator, at the server becomes Image, inference at the server (≈ 1 Mpx).More precise designation: the object first, the specification after the comma, the quantity or period at the end; the former title remains searchable.
- 2 November 2026Designation : Image, inference at the server (≈ 1 Mpx) becomes Generate an image.In people's own words; the size becomes a setting.
- 2 November 2026Short title : Image at the server becomes Generate an image.In people's own words.
- 2 November 2026Address : image-inference-au-serveur becomes generer-une-image.Address in people's own words; the old one redirected.
- 2 November 2026Selected value (2.907).The value 2.907 moves to the default row (standard size), unchanged.
- 1st November 2026Title : A diffusion image, at the server becomes An image from an open generator, at the server.A title that can be read without knowing diffusion models.
- 31 October 2026Creation of the database, in its first version (0.1).
