Turning down the heat from data centers | Data Center Waste Heat as an Emerging Urban Thermal Hazard: First Field Measurements of Neighborhood-Scale Air Temperature Impacts Open Access

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🌡️ Data centers can increase local air temperatures by up to 4 degrees Fahrenheit in downwind neighborhoods, according to a new Arizona State University study in the Phoenix metro area.

🚗 Researchers used car-mounted sensors from June 18 to Oct. 25, 2025, to measure real-time temperature differences upwind and downwind of four data centers, finding average downwind increases of 1.3 to 1.6 degrees F.

🌍 The heat impact from data centers is detectable up to about a third of a mile away and could significantly affect urban temperatures, especially in areas already prone to extreme heat. U.S. data center capacity is projected to more than double by 2030.

🤝 ASU researchers, including lead author David Sailor, are collaborating with city planners and industry developers to find solutions for reducing data center heat pollution, suggesting design modifications and green spaces as potential buffers.

#DataCenters #ClimateChange #UrbanHeatIsland

Research examined the locations of 4,283 data centers across the contiguous U.S and found that 97.5% of them sit inside metropolitan or micropolitan statistical areas. Data centers are power-hungry, running thousands of servers around the clock and drawing enormous, steady loads from the grid.

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💡 A new study from NYU Tandon School of Engineering reveals that 97.5% of the 4,283 U.S. data centers examined are located within metropolitan or micropolitan statistical areas, challenging the notion that they are primarily a rural phenomenon.

⚡️ Proximity to existing electricity capacity is a key factor, with closed coal plants near cities attracting new data center development due to readily available power infrastructure. Data centers in areas overlapping with federal Energy Communities are twice as likely to be under development.

🌍 Five metro areas – Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, New York-Newark-Jersey City, and Phoenix – house nearly one-third of all U.S. data centers. The Washington region alone has 610 facilities.

💨 Data center placement is also influenced by the concentration of IT workers and high-speed internet, with the opacity of the industry presenting challenges for informed community planning.

#DataCenters #AI #TechNews

Some data centers are already considering using desalination to get fresh water for cooling, according to new research.

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