UsesLevel 3 of 6 useUse, level 3 of 6Used to calculate 2 entries, levels 4 and 6Calculated with 1 entry, level 1Database structure 
6Territories
5Organisations
4Occupations and activities
2Machine operations
1Calculation factorsQuestion to Gemini, measured by Google
The median text question asked to the Gemini apps in May 2025, measured by Google in production.
- The figure covers the chips, the servers, the idle reserve machines and the data centre, for the median question.
- CO2e is calculated from electricity and the worldwide grid; it is not a direct measurement of carbon.
- Out of scope: server manufacturing, model training, the network and the user's device.
Sentence to citeQuestion to Gemini, measured by Google: 0.11 gCO2e per question, for 0.24 Wh of electricity, servers worldwide (458 gCO2e/kWh).
- Calculated with
- Used to calculate
Origin of the value
Chips, servers, idle reserve machines and data centre included. The only production measurement published by a provider, not audited by a third party.
Comparison with the other uses
↓ The heaviest use in the topic, "Deep research": 45 gCO2e, 410 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 | the chips, the servers, the idle reserve machines and the data centre, for the median question |
| Not counted | server manufacturing, model training, the network and the user's device |
| Status | measured, 1 reading with the same scope |
All the characteristics
| Identifier | IA-0228, projetcelsius.com/en/ai/database/IA-0228/ |
|---|---|
| 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 | Google, 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 | 0.11 gCO2e per question, IA-0228 version 0.1, according to the grid at the location (location-based), servers worldwide |
| Total | 0.11 gCO2e · not counted: server manufacturing, model training, 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.
Role and limits : Google
What the publication covers. chips, host, standby machines, data centre, on-site water
What it does not cover. manufacturing, training
Reading by the database. The only production measurement published by a provider
Reference of the selected value
Scope of the figure used. Median text question, May 2025; chips, host, idle reserve machines, data centre
Limit. Record R-0001, attached to the Gemini 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 Geminiselected by the database, v0.1 | 2026 | 0.24 Wh | the value selected by the database | same scope | measured |
| Google, Gemini Apps ↗Measuring the environmental impact of delivering AI at Google scale | August 2025 | 0.24 Wh | Median text question, May 2025; chips, host, idle reserve machines, data centre | same 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 |
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).
