AImprontaEN / ITBehind a result on screen is real work. Eight questions to understand how energy and resources are involved.
A digital answer involves physical work.
Processors perform calculations using electricity. Memory, networks and cooling also use power.
Try this. A short request and a long video are different jobs.
Sources: IEA · Energy and AI ↗
It houses many of the computers behind online services.
Servers, storage and networking process and move data. Power and cooling systems keep them running.
Try this. The “cloud” means real infrastructure, even when you cannot see it.
Sources: IEA · Energy and AI ↗
Some systems use water to remove heat.
Use depends on cooling, climate and location. Electricity generation can also require water; AImpronta does not add that component.
Try this. Bottles and glasses compare volumes; they do not mean bottled water was used.
Sources: Commissione europea · Data centres ↗ · Google · Measuring AI inference ↗
The work required of the system changes.
Duration, resolution and generation steps matter. Benchmarks show substantial differences, but no ranking applies to every model and request.
Try this. Include quantity and duration: “3 videos of 10 seconds” tells us more than “3 videos”.
Sources: Luccioni et al. · FAccT 2024 ↗ · Delavande et al. · Video benchmark ↗
They do not all work in the same way.
Size, architecture, hardware and execution change the cost of computation. More efficient systems can do the same work with less energy.
Try this. Better efficiency per request does not automatically mean lower total energy use.
Sources: Google · Measuring AI inference ↗ · IEA · Energy and AI ↗
No: learning and responding are different stages.
Training changes a model using examples. Inference uses a trained model to produce a result. AImpronta estimates use without adding training.
Try this. When comparing figures, check which stages they include.
Sources: Google Developers · ML Glossary ↗ · Luccioni et al. · FAccT 2024 ↗
The same sentence can run on different infrastructure.
Response length, model and server load vary. A mean or median is a reference, not a meter reading for your request.
Try this. Open “Method & sources” to distinguish disclosures, lab measurements and derived estimates.
Sources: Google · Measuring AI inference ↗
A common measure for comparing different greenhouse gases.
CO₂e expresses gases’ climate effects as equivalent amounts of CO₂ over a defined time horizon. This calculator shows electricity-related CO₂, not a complete CO₂e inventory.
Try this. Energy, water and CO₂ describe different aspects; they are not interchangeable.
