OpenAI TTS Environmental Impact
OpenAI's text-to-speech API with multiple voice options
- Architecture
- Neural TTS model (proprietary)
- 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 US East / Sweden
Provider
OpenAI
Category
audio
Grid carbon intensity
450 g CO2/kWh (25% renewable)
How does OpenAI TTS compare?
Detailed Breakdown
Energy Consumption
OpenAI TTS generates lifelike speech in multiple voices. At ~0.3 Wh per 30 seconds of audio, it's relatively efficient — TTS models are smaller and faster than LLMs since they convert text tokens directly to audio waveforms without complex reasoning.
Power Source & Carbon
Runs on Microsoft Azure infrastructure alongside other OpenAI models.
Water Usage
At ~1.1 mL per 30 seconds of generated audio.
About OpenAI TTS
OpenAI TTS is the most energy-efficient audio model in our dataset at 0.30 Wh per query — ranked #1 of 6 models in its category. OpenAI's model, released in November 6, 2023, openai's text-to-speech api with multiple voice options. Built on Neural TTS model (proprietary).
These figures are estimates derived from hardware specifications and API benchmarks — OpenAI has not published official energy data for OpenAI TTS. Actual consumption may vary significantly depending on batching, quantisation, and infrastructure optimisations that we cannot observe from outside.
OpenAI TTS in Context
Your yearly OpenAI TTS footprint
At 25 queries per day, your annual OpenAI TTS usage consumes 2.7 kWh — comparable to running a LED light bulb for a month. That produces 1.2 kg of CO₂.
Key Insights
What does your OpenAI TTS usage cost the planet?
Use our calculator to estimate your personal environmental footprint based on how often you use OpenAI TTS.
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How much energy does OpenAI TTS use per query?
Each OpenAI TTS query consumes approximately 0.30 Wh of energy. This is about the same as a traditional Google search (~0.3 Wh).
What is OpenAI TTS's carbon footprint?
Based on the carbon intensity of Azure US East / Sweden, 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 OpenAI TTS use?
Each query consumes approximately 1 mL of water, primarily used for cooling the data centers that process the request.
How does OpenAI TTS compare to a Google search?
A OpenAI TTS query uses about the same as a Google search in terms of energy. A Google search uses approximately 0.3 Wh, while OpenAI TTS uses 0.30 Wh.
Technical Details
Architecture
Neural TTS model (proprietary)
Release date
2023-11-06
Open source
No