gigawatt

noun

giga·​watt ˈji-gə-ˌwät How to pronounce gigawatt (audio) ˈgi- How to pronounce gigawatt (audio)
: a unit of power equal to one billion watts

Examples of gigawatt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
News that OpenAI had signed nine-figure deals with Delt or Citadel or Eli Lilly would do as much for the AI ecosystem as multibillion-dollar funding rounds and gigawatt purchases. Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2025 OpenAI agreed to build and deploy Nvidia systems that require 10 gigawatts of power, which Huang said at the time of the announcement is equal to between 4 million and 5 million graphics processing units, or GPUs. Annie Palmer, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2025 The spokesperson said the federal agency expects to add about 2 gigawatts of new energy projects by the end of 2028 and complete the first phase of an interconnection study in January that could add more. Monica Samayoa, ProPublica, 8 Oct. 2025 With its latest major investment, announced on Monday, OpenAI will invest in 6 gigawatts of data center capacity powered by AMD chips. Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for gigawatt

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1962, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gigawatt was circa 1962

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Cite this Entry

“Gigawatt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gigawatt. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.

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