Gemma 3 4B Environmental Impact
Small multimodal open model for edge and mobile
- Architecture
- Multimodal Transformer (text + image)
- Parameters
- 4B
- Context
- 128,000 tokens
- Provider
Energy per query
0.08 Wh
about the same as a Google search (0.3 Wh)
CO2 per query
0.03 g
Global Average grid (475 gCO₂/kWh)
Water per query
0.30 mL
~3,333 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 4B compare?
Detailed Breakdown
Energy Consumption
Gemma 3 4B is a multimodal open model that handles both text and images at just 4B parameters. At ~0.08 Wh per query, it can run on mobile devices and edge hardware, making it one of the most efficient multimodal models available.
Power Source & Carbon
Fully open-source. Can run on smartphones, laptops, and edge devices — energy depends entirely on deployment.
Water Usage
At ~0.3 mL per query. On-device inference uses zero water.
About Gemma 3 4B
At 0.08 Wh per query, Gemma 3 4B is one of the most energy-efficient AI models in existence — ranked #4 across our entire dataset of 152 models. With just 4B parameters, it proves that useful AI doesn't have to be expensive to run. As an open-source model, it can be deployed on any hardware, including personal devices. Google released it in March 12, 2025 as a text and chat model: small multimodal open model for edge and mobile.
These figures are estimates derived from hardware specifications and API benchmarks — Google has not published official energy data for Gemma 3 4B. 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 4B usage cost the planet?
Use our calculator to estimate your personal environmental footprint based on how often you use Gemma 3 4B.
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How much energy does Gemma 3 4B use per query?
Each Gemma 3 4B query consumes approximately 0.08 Wh of energy. This is about the same as a traditional Google search (~0.3 Wh).
What is Gemma 3 4B's carbon footprint?
Based on the carbon intensity of Self-hosted (varies), each query produces approximately 0.03 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 4B use?
Each query consumes approximately 0.30 mL of water, primarily used for cooling the data centers that process the request.
How does Gemma 3 4B compare to a Google search?
A Gemma 3 4B query uses about the same as a Google search in terms of energy. A Google search uses approximately 0.3 Wh, while Gemma 3 4B uses 0.08 Wh.
Technical Details
Architecture
Multimodal Transformer (text + image)
Parameters
4B
Context window
128,000 tokens
Release date
2025-03-12
Open source
Yes
Training data cutoff
2025-02