DeepSeek-V3 Environmental Impact
Efficient MoE model with high capability
- Architecture
- Transformer Mixture-of-Experts (decoder-only)
- Parameters
- 671B
- Context
- 128,000 tokens
- Provider
- DeepSeek
Energy per query
4.2 Wh
14x more than a Google search (0.3 Wh)
CO2 per query
2.3 g
China grid (550 gCO₂/kWh)
Water per query
16 mL
~65 queries to fill 1 litre
Processing location
China (Hangzhou / Hainan)
Provider
DeepSeek
Category
Text / Chat
Grid carbon intensity
550 g CO2/kWh (30% renewable)
How does DeepSeek-V3 compare?
Detailed Breakdown
Energy Consumption
DeepSeek-V3 consumes approximately 4.2 Wh per query. Despite using a Mixture-of-Experts architecture where only a subset of parameters are active per token, the full 671B parameter model must be loaded across multiple GPUs. Jegham et al. gave it an eco-efficiency score of 0.060 — very low due to the carbon-intensive Chinese grid infrastructure.
Power Source & Carbon
DeepSeek-V3 runs on infrastructure in mainland China, sharing facilities with DeepSeek-R1 in Hangzhou and Hainan. China's electricity grid has a carbon intensity of approximately 550 g CO2/kWh — roughly 45% higher than the US average — with about 60% of electricity generated from coal.
Water Usage
At approximately 15.5 mL per query, DeepSeek-V3 has a substantial water footprint driven by both its energy requirements and the hot, humid climate at its data center locations.
About DeepSeek-V3
DeepSeek-V3 is a 671B-parameter text and chat model from DeepSeek, released December 26, 2024. Efficient MoE model with high capability. At 4.2 Wh per query, it uses 14x the energy of a Google search. It runs on a Transformer Mixture-of-Experts (decoder-only) architecture.
DeepSeek-V3 in Context
At global scale
With an estimated 10M+ daily users averaging 10 queries each, DeepSeek-V3 consumes roughly 420 MWh of electricity per day — enough to power 14000 homes.
Your yearly DeepSeek-V3 footprint
At 25 queries per day, your annual DeepSeek-V3 usage consumes 38.3 kWh — roughly what a fridge uses in a month. That produces 21.0 kg of CO₂.
Key Insights
DeepSeek DeepSeek Family
How energy efficiency has evolved across versions.
What does your DeepSeek-V3 usage cost the planet?
Use our calculator to estimate your personal environmental footprint based on how often you use DeepSeek-V3.
Calculate My ComputeFrequently Asked Questions
How much energy does DeepSeek-V3 use per query?
Each DeepSeek-V3 query consumes approximately 4.2 Wh of energy. This is 14x more than a traditional Google search (~0.3 Wh).
What is DeepSeek-V3's carbon footprint?
Based on the carbon intensity of China (Hangzhou / Hainan), each query produces approximately 2.3 g of CO2. The grid in this region has a carbon intensity of 550 g CO2/kWh with 30% renewable energy.
How much water does DeepSeek-V3 use?
Each query consumes approximately 16 mL of water, primarily used for cooling the data centers that process the request.
How does DeepSeek-V3 compare to a Google search?
A DeepSeek-V3 query uses 14x more than a Google search in terms of energy. A Google search uses approximately 0.3 Wh, while DeepSeek-V3 uses 4.2 Wh.
Technical Details
Architecture
Transformer Mixture-of-Experts (decoder-only)
Parameters
671B
Context window
128,000 tokens
Release date
2024-12-26
Open source
Yes