UsesLevel 3 of 6 useUse, level 3 of 6Used to calculate 3 entries, level 4Calculated with 1 entry, level 1Database structure 
6Territories
5Organisations
4Occupations and activities
2Machine operations
1Calculation factorsQuestion to ChatGPT, OpenAI statement
The average query sent to ChatGPT according to Sam Altman, in June 2025.
- The figure covers whatever "an average query" covers at OpenAI, with no further detail.
- CO2e is calculated from electricity and the worldwide grid; it is not a direct measurement of carbon.
- Out of scope: nothing is said about what is excluded.
Sentence to citeQuestion to ChatGPT, OpenAI statement: 0.16 gCO2e per question, for 0.34 Wh of electricity, servers worldwide (458 gCO2e/kWh).
- Calculated with
- Used to calculate
Origin of the value
A single sentence with no published method or scope, consistent with Google's measurement.
Comparison with the other uses
↓ The heaviest use in the topic, "Deep research": 45 gCO2e, 290 times more
Emissions of one use, linear scale, 7 of the 21 uses in the topic. For calculated values, servers worldwide.
Characteristics
| Unit | 1 question |
|---|---|
| Default location | world, 458 gCO2e/kWh (Ember 2025, life cycle); 11 other locations to choose from |
| Counted | whatever "an average query" covers at OpenAI, with no further detail |
| Not counted | nothing is said about what is excluded |
| Status | published, 1 reading with the same scope |
All the characteristics
| Identifier | IA-0229, projetcelsius.com/en/ai/database/IA-0229/ |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.1 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 | OpenAI, 2025 |
| 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 question |
| Factor | 0.16 gCO2e per question, IA-0229 version 0.1, according to the grid at the location (location-based), servers worldwide |
| Total | 0.16 gCO2e · not counted: nothing is said about what is excluded |
This block is made of no other: its value is read from its sources.
Entries that use it (3)
ChatGPT Plus, 1 year, ChatGPT Pro, 1 year, ChatGPT Business, 1 year
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.
OpenAI · June 2025
Role and limits : OpenAI
Author. Sam Altman, OpenAI
What the publication covers. an average query
What it does not cover. method, scope
Reading by the database. One sentence, no method
Reference of the selected value
Scope of the figure used. "An average query", with no published method
Limit. Record R-0004, attached to the ChatGPT block
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question to ChatGPTselected by the database, v0.1 | 2026 | 0.34 Wh | the value selected by the database | same scope | published |
| OpenAI, Sam Altman ↗The Gentle Singularity | June 2025 | 0.34 Wh | "An average query", with no published method | 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 |
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).
