Methodology & Data Sources
All data in this dashboard comes from publicly available sources. Below is a complete list of every data source used, what we extract from it, and how frequently it updates.
Important Caveats
- AI-specific data is estimated. Data center operators do not publicly distinguish AI from non-AI workloads. The AI share figures are derived from IEA modeling and academic research, not direct measurement.
- Company reports use different methodologies. Scope boundaries, carbon accounting methods, and water measurement vary between providers. Direct comparisons should be interpreted cautiously.
- Per-query figures are from Google only. The 0.24 Wh/query figure is specific to Google Gemini on Google infrastructure. Other providers and models will differ.
- Projections are scenarios, not predictions. IEA 2030 projections represent modeled scenarios under stated policies, not forecasts.
- Model efficiency data is approximate. The Hugging Face AI Energy Score measures GPU energy only, not full-stack (networking, cooling, storage).
Energy Consumption
International Energy Agency (IEA)
Global data center electricity consumption figures and 2020-2030 projections. Base case and scenario analysis.
Google Cloud — Measuring Environmental Impact of AI Inference
Per-query energy, carbon, and water measurements for Gemini Apps. Full-stack methodology including accelerators, host systems, and overhead.
Hugging Face AI Energy Score
Standardized energy efficiency ratings for AI model inference. Benchmarked on NVIDIA H100 GPUs with standardized datasets.
Carbon Emissions
Nature Sustainability — Environmental Impact of AI Servers
Peer-reviewed projections for AI server environmental impact in the USA (2024-2030). Covers carbon, water, and mitigation scenarios.
EPA Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP)
Facility-level greenhouse gas emissions data for large emitting facilities including data centers.
IATA — Aviation Emissions
Global aviation CO2 emissions for industry comparison context.
Water Usage
Digiconomist / Patterns Journal
First research to isolate AI-specific water footprint from general data center operations. Peer-reviewed, open access.
UN FAO AQUASTAT
Country-level water withdrawal data for comparison context.
USGS — Water Use in the United States
Municipal and per-capita water consumption data for US cities.
Comparison & Context
World Bank — Electricity Consumption
Country-level total electricity consumption for national scale comparisons.
Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index
Real-time Bitcoin mining energy consumption estimate.
EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator
Conversion factors for making emissions relatable (trees, miles driven, homes powered).
EIA — US Energy Information Administration
Average US household electricity consumption for opportunity cost calculations.
Company Data
Google Environmental Report 2025
Energy, water, carbon, and renewable energy data for Google operations and data centers.
Microsoft Sustainability Report
Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, water usage, and renewable energy commitments.
Amazon Sustainability Report
AWS and Amazon overall environmental footprint including data center operations.
Meta Sustainability Report
Data center energy, water, and emissions data for Meta operations.
src/data/.