Compare ways to complete the task
| Approach | Energy/task | Privacy | Best when |
|---|
Training, inference, chip fabrication, cooling, and useful output belong in the same conversation. Precision without matched boundaries is only false confidence.
Transparent formulas
energy = chips × power × hours × utilization × PUE
carbon = kWh × grid intensity
per useful task = total ÷ successful outputs
Embodied hardware is allocated by the share of lifetime compute used in this scenario.
What drives the answer?
Should this task use a model?
Start with a smaller model or deterministic program, then measure whether complexity adds useful outcomes.
Recommendations are engineering prompts, not moral verdicts. Social benefit and harm require evidence outside this calculator.
Uncertainty range
Current high estimate is 2.9× the low estimate. Grid intensity and utilization dominate this scenario.
Knowledge check
Why can per-request comparisons mislead?