Grok 4.20 Environmental Impact
Record 78% non-hallucination rate — 2M context, multi-agent
- Architecture
- Dense Transformer with reasoning and multi-agent modes
- Context
- 2,000,000 tokens
- Provider
- xAI
Energy per query
10.0 Wh
33x more than a Google search (0.3 Wh)
CO2 per query
3.4 g
US South (Tennessee) grid (420 gCO₂/kWh)
Water per query
19 mL
~54 queries to fill 1 litre
Processing location
xAI Memphis data centre
Provider
xAI
Category
Text / Chat
Grid carbon intensity
420 g CO2/kWh (30% renewable)
How does Grok 4.20 compare?
Detailed Breakdown
Energy Consumption
Grok 4.20 achieves a record 78% non-hallucination rate and is available in standard, reasoning, and multi-agent variants. At ~10.0 Wh per query, it is xAI's most energy-intensive model. The multi-agent mode runs multiple model instances in parallel, multiplying energy consumption. Priced at $20/$60 per M tokens.
Power Source & Carbon
Runs on xAI's Memphis Colossus facility (US South grid, ~420 g CO2/kWh).
About Grok 4.20
Grok 4.20 is a text and chat model from xAI, released in March 10, 2026. Record 78% non-hallucination rate — 2M context, multi-agent. Each query uses 10.0 Wh of energy and produces 3.4 g of CO₂. That's 33x the energy of a Google search — reflecting the computational demands of text and chat.
These figures are estimates derived from hardware specifications and API benchmarks — xAI has not published official energy data for Grok 4.20. Actual consumption may vary significantly depending on batching, quantisation, and infrastructure optimisations that we cannot observe from outside.
Grok 4.20 in Context
The efficiency alternative
Gemini Nano performs the same type of task using just 0.01 Wh per query — 100% less energy than Grok 4.20. For a user sending 25 queries per day, switching would save 91.1 kWh per year.
xAI Grok Family
How energy efficiency has evolved across versions.
What does your Grok 4.20 usage cost the planet?
Use our calculator to estimate your personal environmental footprint based on how often you use Grok 4.20.
Calculate My ComputeFrequently Asked Questions
How much energy does Grok 4.20 use per query?
Each Grok 4.20 query consumes approximately 10.0 Wh of energy. This is 33x more than a traditional Google search (~0.3 Wh).
What is Grok 4.20's carbon footprint?
Based on the carbon intensity of xAI Memphis data centre, each query produces approximately 3.4 g of CO2. The grid in this region has a carbon intensity of 420 g CO2/kWh with 30% renewable energy.
How much water does Grok 4.20 use?
Each query consumes approximately 19 mL of water, primarily used for cooling the data centers that process the request.
How does Grok 4.20 compare to a Google search?
A Grok 4.20 query uses 33x more than a Google search in terms of energy. A Google search uses approximately 0.3 Wh, while Grok 4.20 uses 10.0 Wh.
Technical Details
Architecture
Dense Transformer with reasoning and multi-agent modes
Context window
2,000,000 tokens
Release date
2026-03-10
Open source
No
Training data cutoff
2026-02