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Every completion served through the LLM Gateway is scored for its environmental impact: the energy it consumed (kWh) and the greenhouse-gas emissions it produced (kg CO₂eq). The estimate is attached to each call and aggregated in Observability (the Carbon headline card). The method is inspired by the EcoLogits methodology: a per-token energy model, scaled by datacenter efficiency (PUE) and converted to CO₂ with a region-specific grid emission factor, reported with an uncertainty range. It is a parametric estimate, not a measurement — its accuracy depends entirely on the metrics declared on each model.

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Where the inputs come from

The estimate is driven by three fields you declare per model, in the Metrics section of the model declaration form (Governe → Models → Add/Edit model → Advanced):
Model declaration — Metrics section (Energy/Token, PUE Profile, Eco Score)
Unit matters. Energy/Token is expressed in kWh per token (e.g. 0.0000103 kWh/token ≈ 10.3 mWh/token). Entering a value in Wh/token would make the reported footprint 1000× too high. The field is not unit-suffixed in the UI, so declare it in kWh/token.

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Calculation

For a call with in input tokens and out output tokens, and a model whose declared energy per token is ept:

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1. GPU energy

Input tokens (encoding) are counted at ~33% of an output token’s energy:

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2. Server overhead

A fixed server draw of 0.1 kW over an estimated 0.02 s of processing per token:

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3. Datacenter efficiency (PUE)

The raw energy is scaled by the Power Usage Effectiveness of the datacenter:

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4. CO₂eq emissions

The energy is converted with the grid emission factor of the model’s region:

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5. Uncertainty range

Both energy and emissions are reported with a ±20% band (min = value × 0.8, max = value × 1.2).

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Condensed formula

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Worked example

A short call of 51 input + 18 output tokens on a model declared at ept = 0.0000103 kWh/token, average PUE, us-west:
  • gpu_energy = (51 × 0.0000103 × 0.33) + (18 × 0.0000103) ≈ 0.000359 kWh
  • server_energy = 0.1 × (69 × 0.02) / 3600 ≈ 0.0000038 kWh
  • total_energy = (0.000359 + 0.0000038) × 1.58 ≈ 0.000573 kWh
  • gwp = 0.000573 × 0.352 ≈ 0.0002 kg CO₂eq (~0.2 g CO₂eq)

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Result shape

Each call returns:
The constants (0.33 input factor, 0.1 kW server draw, 0.02 s/token, PUE multipliers and regional emission factors, ±20% band) are fixed in the gateway. Only energy_per_token, pue_profile and region are per-model. A model with no energy_per_token reports pricing only and no footprint.