Data centers designed for AI operations generate substantial heat, leading to elevated temperatures in surrounding areas, creating significant data center heat islands. This phenomenon currently impacts around 340 million individuals worldwide.

The construction of data centers is projected to rise dramatically. According to JLL, data center capacity is expected to double between 2025 and 2030, with AI contributing to half of this demand.

The researcher Andrea Marinoni from the University of Cambridge observed a steady increase in energy consumption by data centers, predicting a surge in the near future and sought to evaluate the resultant impact.

Researchers analyzed land surface temperatures using satellite data over the last two decades, correlating findings with geographical coordinates from over 8,400 AI data centers. To ensure accuracy, they focused solely on data centers situated in less populated regions.

The findings revealed an average temperature rise of 2°C (3.6°F) in the vicinity of operational AI data centers, with peaks reaching as high as 9.1°C (16.4°F).

This temperature spike is not confined to the immediate area around the data center; the impact was observed up to 10 kilometers away, with a reduction in intensity of merely 30% at a distance of 7 kilometers.

“The results we obtained were quite surprising,” Marinoni states. “This could pose a significant problem.”

Using demographic data, estimates reveal that over 340 million individuals reside within a 10-kilometer radius of a data center, experiencing higher temperatures due to their proximity. Marinoni noted that regions such as Mexico’s Bajío and Spain’s Aragón recorded a temperature increase of 2°C (3.6°F) during the 20-year span from 2004 to 2024, attributable to this phenomenon.

Researcher Chris Priest of the University of Bristol highlighted the need for further investigation into whether the heat produced by structures themselves contributes to the overall thermal effects, suggesting that buildings exposed to sunlight could play a role.

Regardless, Marinoni emphasizes that data centers are still contributing to rising surface temperatures. “My key message is to proceed cautiously in the design and development of data centers.”