Carbon Emission Calculator (AI)
Estimate the CO2 emissions of AI compute workloads from energy consumption and grid carbon intensity.
Inputs
CO2 Emissions
2,375.00kg CO2
CO2 Emissions
2.3750tonnes
Equivalent Car Travel
19,792km
Step by step
CO2 emissions
(5000 kWh × 475 g/kWh) ÷ 1000
= 2375.00 kg CO2
Equivalent driving distance
2375.00 ÷ 0.12 kg/km
= 19792 km
How it works
The carbon footprint of an AI workload is a function of how much energy it consumes and how carbon-intensive the electricity grid powering it is. This calculator multiplies energy use (kWh) by the grid's carbon intensity (grams of CO2 per kWh) to estimate total emissions, and translates the result into an equivalent driving distance for intuitive comparison. Choosing a renewable-heavy region or data center can cut emissions by an order of magnitude for the same energy usage.
Formula
co2_kg = (energy_kwh × carbon_intensity_g_per_kwh) / 1000
- energy_kwh
- Total energy consumed in kilowatt-hours
- carbon_intensity_g_per_kwh
- Grid carbon intensity in grams CO2 per kWh
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does data center location matter?
Significantly — a renewable-heavy grid can emit roughly 1/16th the CO2 per kWh compared to a coal-heavy grid, so choosing a green region for training can be one of the highest-leverage emissions reductions available.
Where do I get my actual energy consumption figure?
Use the Energy Consumption Calculator (AI) to derive kWh from GPU count, TDP, hours run, and data center PUE, then feed that result into this calculator.
Do cloud providers publish their grid carbon intensity?
Major providers (AWS, GCP, Azure) publish regional carbon intensity and renewable energy percentages for their data centers, which you can use in place of the presets here.