UsesLevel 3 of 6 useUse, level 3 of 6Used to calculate 2 entries, level 3Calculated with 1 entry, level 1Database structure 
6Territories
5Organisations
4Occupations and activities
2Machine operations
1Calculation factorsRun a conventional web search (reference)
A search on a conventional engine, as announced by Google in 2009, index construction and data centre included.
- The figure covers the search on Google servers, index construction and data centre included.
- CO2e is calculated from electricity and the worldwide grid; it is not a direct measurement of carbon.
- Out of scope: AI-generated answers, the network and the user's device.
Sentence to citeCarrying out a conventional web search (reference): 0.14 gCO2e per search, for 0.3 Wh of electricity, servers worldwide (458 gCO2e/kWh).
- Calculated with
- Used to calculate
Origin of the value
Never publicly remeasured; the AI-generated answers at the top of the results are not quantified.
Comparison with the other uses
↓ The heaviest use in the topic, "Deep research": 45 gCO2e, 330 times more
Emissions of one use, linear scale, 3 of the 5 uses in the topic, those of the same order of magnitude (at most 25 times between the smallest and the largest value). For calculated values, servers worldwide.
Characteristics
| Unit | 1 search |
|---|---|
| Default location | world, 458 gCO2e/kWh (Ember 2025, life cycle); 11 other locations to choose from |
| Counted | the search on Google servers, index construction and data centre included |
| Not counted | AI-generated answers, the network and the user's device |
| Status | published, 1 reading with the same scope |
All the characteristics
| Identifier | IA-0049, projetcelsius.com/en/ai/database/IA-0049/ |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.3 of 2 November 2026 |
| Category | Uses, a request to AI |
| Choice of the selected value | value taken as it stands from its source, without calculation |
| Sources | Google, 2009 |
| Licence | CC BY 4.0 |
Result for the chosen case
For a carbon footprint
| Item | purchases of services (GHG Protocol scope 3, category 1); regulatory BEGES, category 4 |
|---|---|
| Quantity | 1 search |
| Factor | 0.14 gCO2e per search, IA-0049 version 0.3, based on the local grid (location-based), servers worldwide |
| Total | 0.14 gCO2e · not counted: AI-generated answers, the network and the user's device |
This block is made of no other: its value is read from its sources.
Entries that use it (2)
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.
Google · January 2009
Role and limits : Google
What the publication covers. a search, data centre
Reading by the database. Never remeasured
Reference of the selected value
Scope of the figure used. A search, data centre included
Limit. Never publicly remeasured; Google's AI answers are not published
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 operation, each within its own scope.
| Source | Date | Electricity | What the figure measures | Scope | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Web search (benchmark)selected by the database, v0.3 | 2026 | 0.3 Wh | the value selected by the database | same scope | published |
| Google ↗Powering a Google search | Jan. 2009 | 0.3 Wh | A search, data centre included | same scope | published |
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
- 2 November 2026Designation : A Google search becomes Conventional web search (reference).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 2026Status : working value becomes published.The measurement comes from the verified values of the hub: Google's figure is taken as is.
- 2 November 2026Designation : Conventional web search (reference) becomes Carrying out a conventional web search (reference).In people's own words.
- 2 November 2026Address : recherche-web-classique becomes faire-une-recherche-web-classique.In people's own words; the old address redirected.
- 31 October 2026Creation of the database, in its first version (0.1).
