Phi-4 Environmental Impact
Microsoft's efficient small language model
Energy per query
0.35 Wh
about the same as a Google search (0.3 Wh)
CO2 per query
0.16 g
Global Average grid (458 gCO₂/kWh)
Water per query
1 mL
~769 queries to fill 1 litre
Processing location
Self-hosted (varies) / Azure
Provider
Microsoft
Category
Text / Chat
Grid carbon intensity
458 g CO2/kWh (32% renewable)
How does Phi-4 compare?
Detailed Breakdown
Energy Consumption
Phi-4 at 14B parameters achieves strong reasoning for its size, estimated at ~0.35 Wh per query. Microsoft's Phi series is specifically optimised for efficiency, designed for deployment on smaller hardware.
Power Source & Carbon
Available on Azure and as open-source weights. Carbon impact depends on deployment location.
Water Usage
At ~1.3 mL per query in a data centre. Negligible when self-hosted.
About Phi-4
Phi-4 is an open-source text and chat model from Microsoft, released in December 12, 2024, that runs well below the category average for energy consumption at 0.35 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 14B parameters, it microsoft's efficient small language model.
These figures are estimates derived from hardware specifications and API benchmarks — Microsoft has not published official energy data for Phi-4. Actual consumption may vary significantly depending on batching, quantisation, and infrastructure optimisations that we cannot observe from outside.
Phi-4 in Context
Your yearly Phi-4 footprint
At 25 queries per day, your annual Phi-4 usage consumes 3.2 kWh — comparable to running a LED light bulb for a month. That produces 1.5 kg of CO₂.
Key Insights
Microsoft Phi Family
How energy efficiency has evolved across versions.
What does your Phi-4 usage cost the planet?
Use our calculator to estimate your personal environmental footprint based on how often you use Phi-4.
Calculate My ComputeFrequently Asked Questions
How much energy does Phi-4 use per query?
Each Phi-4 query consumes approximately 0.35 Wh of energy. This is about the same as a traditional Google search (~0.3 Wh).
What is Phi-4's carbon footprint?
Based on the carbon intensity of Self-hosted (varies) / Azure, each query produces approximately 0.16 g of CO2. The grid in this region has a carbon intensity of 458 g CO2/kWh with 32% renewable energy.
How much water does Phi-4 use?
Each query consumes approximately 1 mL of water, primarily used for cooling the data centers that process the request.
How does Phi-4 compare to a Google search?
A Phi-4 query uses about the same as a Google search in terms of energy. A Google search uses approximately 0.3 Wh, while Phi-4 uses 0.35 Wh.
Technical Details
Architecture
Dense Transformer (decoder-only)
Parameters
14B
Context window
16,384 tokens
Release date
2024-12-12
Open source
Yes