GPT-5.4 Nano Environmental Impact
Smallest GPT-5.4 variant — edge and mobile deployment
- Architecture
- Multimodal Transformer (distilled, compact)
- Context
- 128,000 tokens
- Provider
- OpenAI
Energy per query
0.30 Wh
about the same as a Google search (0.3 Wh)
CO2 per query
0.13 g
US East (Virginia) grid (450 gCO₂/kWh)
Water per query
1 mL
~909 queries to fill 1 litre
Processing location
Azure / Multi-cloud / Edge
Provider
OpenAI
Category
Text / Chat
Grid carbon intensity
450 g CO2/kWh (25% renewable)
How does GPT-5.4 Nano compare?
Detailed Breakdown
Energy Consumption
GPT-5.4 Nano is the smallest and most efficient member of the GPT-5.4 family at ~0.3 Wh per query. Designed for edge deployment and cost-sensitive applications, it brings GPT-5.4 generation intelligence to the efficiency class of GPT-4.1 Nano.
Power Source & Carbon
Can run on edge devices and mobile hardware in addition to cloud infrastructure.
Water Usage
At ~1.1 mL per query. Near-zero when deployed on edge devices.
About GPT-5.4 Nano
GPT-5.4 Nano is a text and chat model from OpenAI, released in March 5, 2026. Smallest GPT-5.4 variant — edge and mobile deployment. Each query uses 0.30 Wh of energy and produces 0.13 g of CO₂. That's roughly comparable to a traditional Google search. It ranks in the top quartile of text and chat models for energy efficiency (#18 of 94).
These figures are estimates derived from hardware specifications and API benchmarks — OpenAI has not published official energy data for GPT-5.4 Nano. Actual consumption may vary significantly depending on batching, quantisation, and infrastructure optimisations that we cannot observe from outside.
GPT-5.4 Nano in Context
Your yearly GPT-5.4 Nano footprint
At 25 queries per day, your annual GPT-5.4 Nano usage consumes 2.7 kWh — comparable to running a LED light bulb for a month. That produces 1.2 kg of CO₂.
Key Insights
OpenAI GPT Family
How energy efficiency has evolved across versions.
What does your GPT-5.4 Nano usage cost the planet?
Use our calculator to estimate your personal environmental footprint based on how often you use GPT-5.4 Nano.
Calculate My ComputeFrequently Asked Questions
How much energy does GPT-5.4 Nano use per query?
Each GPT-5.4 Nano query consumes approximately 0.30 Wh of energy. This is about the same as a traditional Google search (~0.3 Wh).
What is GPT-5.4 Nano's carbon footprint?
Based on the carbon intensity of Azure / Multi-cloud / Edge, each query produces approximately 0.13 g of CO2. The grid in this region has a carbon intensity of 450 g CO2/kWh with 25% renewable energy.
How much water does GPT-5.4 Nano use?
Each query consumes approximately 1 mL of water, primarily used for cooling the data centers that process the request.
How does GPT-5.4 Nano compare to a Google search?
A GPT-5.4 Nano query uses about the same as a Google search in terms of energy. A Google search uses approximately 0.3 Wh, while GPT-5.4 Nano uses 0.30 Wh.
Technical Details
Architecture
Multimodal Transformer (distilled, compact)
Context window
128,000 tokens
Release date
2026-03-05
Open source
No
Training data cutoff
2026-01