Sam Altman Says ChatGPT Uses Less Water Than Growing One Almond

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman downplayed concerns about AI water consumption on the Sources podcast, saying 38,000 ChatGPT queries use as much water as growing one California almond. Altman acknowledged the figure came from memory and could be inaccurate. Modern data centers use about as much water as a large office building, he claimed, dismissing water concerns as a “robust meme” difficult to disprove despite public backlash.

Why the almond comparison matters

Almonds are among the most water-intensive crops grown in the U.S., requiring about 1.1 gallons of water per nut. Altman used this comparison to frame AI water use as relatively modest. He noted that people consuming 12 almonds at a time rarely feel guilty about their environmental impact, suggesting ChatGPT queries should be viewed similarly. The comparison aims to recontextualize public perception of data center water consumption.

Public opposition to data centers remains high

A Gallup report from May 2026 found 71% of Americans oppose building data centers in their area, with 70% citing environmental concerns. Half of respondents worried about resource depletion, and 18% specifically named water. A 2024 Virginia state commission report found most data centers used the same amount or less water than average large office buildings, supporting Altman’s claim.

How data centers actually use water

Data centers primarily use water for heat rejection through evaporative cooling systems. Most data centers do not reuse cooling water because evaporative systems release water as vapor into the atmosphere. After evaporation, 20% to 30% of water remains in the system as residual water containing concentrated minerals. This leftover water typically cannot be reused for cooling and is treated as wastewater or discharged per environmental regulations. A 100 MW facility consumes about 2.5 billion liters annually, roughly equivalent to 5,000 homes.

ChatGPT’s massive user base and daily queries

Despite environmental concerns, ChatGPT has 900 million weekly users worldwide generating 2.5 billion prompts daily. Monthly active users across ChatGPT and comparable AI tools like Claude reach 1.5 billion. U.S. adoption ranges from 31.3% of working-age adults to 56% of those with internet access. About one in three Americans aged 18 to 49 use large language models daily, according to a Pew Research poll from 2026. Altman acknowledged his 38,000-query figure was from memory and could be wrong, though earlier estimates suggested one ChatGPT query uses around 0.32 milliliters of water.

Final Thoughts

Altman’s almond comparison attempts to reframe AI water use as proportional to other industries, but public skepticism remains high. With 71% of Americans opposing new data centers and 900 million weekly ChatGPT users, the debate over AI’s environmental footprint will likely persist regardless of technical comparisons.

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