Err… no. They seem to be using the power consumption of an entire data centre as if the whole building was used for just your email. That’s not how that works!

GPT-4 needs roughly 8x GPUs and can generate 100 words in about a second or two. Let’s say it’s a single DGX server running for 2 seconds at 6.5kW. This is just 13 kJ, which can be cooled with about 5mL of water maximum… not 3 bottles!

In reality it’s much more efficient than that because during inference multiple requests are processed together, typically something like 8 to 32 at once depending on the model and the hardware. This means that a single email needs something like a tiny drop of water… which isn’t destroyed, merely evaporated.

This is histerical reporting by a scientifically illiterate arts major worried about being replaced by an AI next year.