A study led by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, or KAIST, examined the electricity use of AI agents. These systems can complete certain tasks on their own, while chatbots usually answer a single prompt and stop. In the tests, a complex agent query used 348.41 watt-hours of electricity on average. One agent system used 136.5 times more GPU energy per query than a normal chatbot, and another used 62.1 times more. The study also found that agents could take up to 153.7 times longer to produce an answer. Researchers said that much of the energy is spent while the system waits for responses from websites or other tools. They warned that if daily use reaches about 13.7 billion requests worldwide, data centers could need about 199 gigawatts of power.
environmentIntermediate2 min read7/8/2026
Study Finds AI Agents Use Far More Electricity
Researchers at KAIST measured the power use of AI agents and compared it with chatbots. They found that agents can use far more energy because they plan and carry out many steps before they answer. The study warns that wider use could affect data centers and electricity networks.
