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Sam Altman Says Water for One Almond Covers 38,000 ChatGPT Queries

September 2, 2026 at 19:16 EDT

Infra & Chips
Foundation Models

OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman said the water used to produce a single California almond can cover about 38,000 ChatGPT queries, arguing that public fears about AI data centers draining local water supplies are a stubborn “meme” rather than a measured crisis.

September 2026 · OpenAI

One almond. 38,000 ChatGPT queries.

Sam Altman said the water used to grow a single California almond can cover about 38,000 ChatGPT queries. He called data-center water fears a stubborn meme, while recalling the 38,000 figure from memory.

38,000

ChatGPT queries per almond, per Altman

0.32 ml

Water per average ChatGPT query

0.34 Wh

Electricity per average ChatGPT query

71%

Americans oppose a local AI data center

Water in one query vs. one almond

Each block on the right equals 1,000 ChatGPT queries of water. The short column is a single query.

1 query

0.32 ml

38,000 queries

~1 almond (~12 L)

Takeaway: On Altman’s math, one nut’s water matches tens of thousands of text queries.

Scale check

Per-prompt water from ChatGPT (0.32 ml) and Gemini (0.26 ml) is tiny next to a California almond. Newer campuses are shifting to closed-loop or low-water cooling.

What it skips

The 38,000 figure was recalled from memory. Company numbers lack a published method, omit training, and independent counts that include power-plant water run much higher. Local aquifers can still be strained.

Altman’s frame

People eating a handful of almonds rarely treat that as a water emergency. He says total energy use—not water per query—is the fairer concern.

Cooling shift

Closed-loop / low-water systems at new campuses

Viral claim

Gallons per query called untrue and disconnected

Public hurdle

71% oppose a nearby AI data center

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