AI boom drives massive power demand

by SAVIOUS KWINIKA

JOHANNESBURG – AS artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT scale globally, attention is turning to a critical question: how much energy powers the billions of prompts processed every day?

A recent report by BestBrokers estimates that ChatGPT now handles up to 3.2 billion queries daily, driven by roughly 900 million weekly users and more than a billion monthly users.

This translates into more than one trillion prompts annually, making AI infrastructure one of the fastest-growing sources of digital energy demand.

The electricity required to sustain this activity is substantial. According to the report, ChatGPT consumes about 60.7 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of energy each day.

Over a week, that equates to roughly 425 GWh. Monthly consumption rises to approximately 1.8 terawatt-hours (TWh), while annual demand reaches around 22 TWh—comparable to the electricity usage of a small country or a large metropolitan area.

The report highlights the scale clearly: “Answering those prompts alone requires vast amounts of electricity… roughly 60.7 GWh of energy every day, or about 22.15 TWh per year.”

At average U.S. commercial electricity prices, this results in an estimated $3 billion annual energy cost just to generate responses.

On a per-interaction basis, the energy intensity is striking. A single ChatGPT prompt consumes about 18.9 watt-hours, compared with just 0.3 watt-hours for a traditional search query.

This means AI responses can require more than 50 times the electricity of standard web searches.

Alan Goldberg of BestBrokers explains: “The AI boom is often framed as a software revolution, but behind every chatbot response lies a vast network of energy-hungry data centers.”

He adds that future AI systems will demand even more computational power, increasing pressure on global energy infrastructure.

This surge is already influencing investment trends.

Energy providers, data centre operators and governments are accelerating investments in renewable energy, grid capacity and efficient computing technologies to support AI growth.

Hyperscale data centres are expanding rapidly, particularly in regions with access to affordable and sustainable power.

Despite the energy concerns, the benefits of ChatGPT remain significant. For individuals, it offers instant access to knowledge, education and productivity tools.

Entrepreneurs use it to develop business plans, automate customer engagement and reduce operational costs. Corporations deploy AI to streamline workflows, enhance decision-making and unlock new revenue opportunities.

Economically, ChatGPT lowers barriers to entry across industries, enabling faster innovation and improving efficiency.

While its energy footprint is undeniable, its value as a driver of productivity, inclusion and economic growth continues to expand alongside global adoption.

– CAJ News