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.
According to analyst Michael Elias, Microsoft walked away from the two data centers — which were expected to have more than 2 gigawatts of capacity — in the U.S. and Europe over the past six months. Hakyung Kim, CNBC, 26 Mar. 2025 In January, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company is building a data center with a capacity of more than two gigawatts — a site that could cover a large part of Manhattan. Britney Nguyen, Quartz, 25 Mar. 2025 This deal would’ve been a game-changer, providing power to 2 million homes and generating a massive 2.6 gigawatts of electricity. Ken Silverstein, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025 What's next: The partnership envisions 25 gigawatts worth of projects, with the first coming online in around three years. Ben Geman, Axios, 19 Mar. 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 9 Apr. 2025.

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