September 4, 2026 | 01:33 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has pushed back against concerns about ChatGPT’s water consumption, arguing that some claims circulating online greatly exaggerate “how much water a single AI query uses.” Speaking with journalist Alex Heath on the Sources podcast, Altman said that approximately 38,000 ChatGPT queries use as much water as producing a single almond in California. He acknowledged that he was recalling the figure from memory and that it might not be exact, but said he believed it was close.
"I don't have the exact calculation in front of me, but I think the real number is something like, for every 38,000 ChatGPT queries, that is the same amount of water that is used in the production of a single almond in California," Altman said, as quoted by Yahoo! Finance.
The public’s growing awareness of AI’s water consumption became a watershed moment, fueling viral videos and headlines claiming that nearly every AI query requires an entire 500mL bottle of water. Altman challenged this perception, saying such comparisons do not accurately reflect how modern data centers operate.
According to Altman, data centers once relied more heavily on evaporative cooling, which required significant amounts of water. However, he argued that modern, large-scale data centers have moved away from this approach. He compared their water consumption to that of an office building, where water is primarily used for everyday activities such as sinks and toilets.
Altman’s comparison with almonds was intended to put ChatGPT’s water use into perspective. Rather than suggesting that AI has no environmental cost, he argues that the water associated with an individual query may be much smaller than people have been led to believe. By comparing thousands of ChatGPT queries with the production of a single almond, he sought to challenge the idea that every interaction with an AI chatbot carries a substantial water footprint.
As is known, the almond industry has come under increasing scrutiny for its heavy water consumption in recent years. Almond milk, in particular, has been criticized for its environmental impact. Estimates suggest that producing a single almond in California requires around 1.1 gallons of water.
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