Gemma 3 27B Environmental Impact
Google's open-source model for self-hosting
- Architecture
- Dense Transformer (decoder-only)
- Parameters
- 27B
- Context
- 128,000 tokens
- Provider
Energy per query
0.75 Wh
3x more than a Google search (0.3 Wh)
CO2 per query
0.30 g
Global Average grid (475 gCO₂/kWh)
Water per query
1 mL
~714 queries to fill 1 litre
Processing location
Self-hosted (varies)
Provider
Category
Text / Chat
Grid carbon intensity
475 g CO2/kWh (27% renewable)
How does Gemma 3 27B compare?
Detailed Breakdown
Energy Consumption
Gemma 3 27B is a dense 27B parameter model estimated at ~0.75 Wh per short query. It's designed to run on a single GPU (including consumer RTX 4090), making it one of the more accessible open-source models.
Power Source & Carbon
As an open-source model, deployed across diverse infrastructure. Carbon impact depends on hosting location.
Water Usage
At ~1.4 mL per query in a data centre. Zero water when self-hosted on personal hardware.
About Gemma 3 27B
Gemma 3 27B is an open-source text and chat model from Google, released in March 12, 2025, that runs well below the category average for energy consumption at 0.75 Wh per query. Because its weights are publicly available, it can be self-hosted on any infrastructure — meaning its carbon footprint depends entirely on where and how you choose to run it. At 27B parameters, it google's open-source model for self-hosting.
These figures are estimates derived from hardware specifications and API benchmarks — Google has not published official energy data for Gemma 3 27B. Actual consumption may vary significantly depending on batching, quantisation, and infrastructure optimisations that we cannot observe from outside.
Key Insights
Google Gemma Family
How energy efficiency has evolved across versions.
What does your Gemma 3 27B usage cost the planet?
Use our calculator to estimate your personal environmental footprint based on how often you use Gemma 3 27B.
Calculate My ComputeFrequently Asked Questions
How much energy does Gemma 3 27B use per query?
Each Gemma 3 27B query consumes approximately 0.75 Wh of energy. This is 3x more than a traditional Google search (~0.3 Wh).
What is Gemma 3 27B's carbon footprint?
Based on the carbon intensity of Self-hosted (varies), each query produces approximately 0.30 g of CO2. The grid in this region has a carbon intensity of 475 g CO2/kWh with 27% renewable energy.
How much water does Gemma 3 27B use?
Each query consumes approximately 1 mL of water, primarily used for cooling the data centers that process the request.
How does Gemma 3 27B compare to a Google search?
A Gemma 3 27B query uses 3x more than a Google search in terms of energy. A Google search uses approximately 0.3 Wh, while Gemma 3 27B uses 0.75 Wh.
Technical Details
Architecture
Dense Transformer (decoder-only)
Parameters
27B
Context window
128,000 tokens
Release date
2025-03-12
Open source
Yes