OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has pushed back against concerns over the water consumption of AI data centers, claiming that the amount of water used to power 38,000 ChatGPT queries is equivalent to the water required to produce a single almond.
Altman made the comments while discussing the backlash against AI companies during an appearance on Tuesday’s episode of the new “Sources” podcast with host Alex Heath.
“You know, I saw this thing going around about the water usage of ChatGPT. And it was like, every time you run a simple ChatGPT query, it’s like you run your shower for like six hours and the water never comes back and just it’s done,” Altman said.
He claimed that the amount of water used to produce a single California almond could power 38,000 ChatGPT queries, while acknowledging that he did not have the exact calculations with him.
{{/usCountry}}He claimed that the amount of water used to produce a single California almond could power 38,000 ChatGPT queries, while acknowledging that he did not have the exact calculations with him.
{{/usCountry}}“There’s a question of like where this came from because the people scarfing down 12 almonds at a time don’t feel like they’re doing something horrible from a water perspective, for the most part,” Altman continued.
“It is true that data centers at one point used evaporative cooling, but they have not done that in a long time. Like if you look at a modern, very large data center, it uses, like, the equivalent amount of water as an office building in terms of people, you know, running the sinks and the toilets and whatever.”
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‘Robust meme’: Altman on online criticism on data centres
Altman described online criticism over data centers’ water consumption as a “robust meme,” but argued that such claims don’t “[hold] up to any scrutiny.”
Altman has previously said that a single ChatGPT query uses 0.3 milliliters of water, or roughly 1/15 of a teaspoon. Given that a gallon contains 3,785.41 milliliters, that estimate would mean roughly 3,800 ChatGPT queries use the equivalent amount of water required to produce one almond.
OpenAI and other technology companies have also been investing heavily in AI agents, which can require significantly more computing power than conventional chatbots.
These agents can handle more complex software tasks and are increasingly being deployed across industries including technology, finance and retail.
The rapid expansion of massive, power-intensive data centers has sparked protests in communities across the US, with residents raising concerns about noise, light and water pollution, as well as fears that AI could eliminate jobs.
On Monday, US President Trump urged Americans to embrace data centers, arguing that communities that reject them will end up “backwards and poor.”