> Why are you demanding absolute, unimpeachable rigour when vendors give specific figures, but are comfortable with hand waving when it comes to complaining about energy use?

Because the evidence that AI data centers are using a lot of energy (generated by fossil fuels in particular) is observable in current concrete reality, like the xAI datacenters running gas turbines adjacent to a neighborhood in Memphis, TN:

https://gasoutlook.com/analysis/xai-data-centre-emits-plumes...

Companies like OpenAI, Google, and xAI have an incentive to downplay the energy usage of their facilities. If not, they should publish their methodology. The burden is on them to prove that they won't drive up energy prices and increase emissions.

> AI data centers are using a lot of energy

This is a worthless thing to say in the context of this discussion.

How much is “a lot”? How many queries does that service?

Saying that “data centres use a lot of energy” doesn’t tell us anything at all about their energy efficiency.

> Companies like OpenAI, Google, and xAI have an incentive to downplay the energy usage of their facilities. If not, they should publish their methodology.

All you’re really doing here is giving me the impression you aren’t participating in this discussion honestly. You demand more detail, but if you had read the things I pointed you towards, you would see that Google have published what you want already. You don’t actually care about the details, you want to complain without bothering to look at the information handed to you on a plate.