Study links data centres to heat island effects worldwide

A group of scientists has claimed a pronounced heat island phenomenon correlated with the development of data centres in an early study, speculating on the heat's "remarkable influence on communities and regional welfare".

The non-peer-reviewed paper, published by a group of nine researchers affiliated with institutions such as the University of Cambridge and Nanyang Technological University, presented its findings based on 20 years of remote land-surface sensor temperature data. It was published on the public-domain research site Arxiv.

340 million could be impacted

Called the Data Heat Island Effect, the study showed that temperatures are rising an average of 3.6 degrees fahrenheit (2 degrees C) in areas immediately surrounding the " locations of the main AI hyperscaler centres", while as much as a 16.4 (9.1 degrees C) degree increase was shown in the most extreme cases.

Its findings also provided insight into how widely felt the thermal effects are, claiming the centres and associated heat islands could impact a total of over 340 million people worldwide.

"We assess the impact on the communities, quantifying that more than 340 million people could be affected by this temperature increase," said the group.

"Our results show that the data heat island effect could have a remarkable influence on communities and regional welfare in the future, hence becoming part of the conversation around environmentally sustainable AI worldwide."

Each of the 6,733 data centres that constituted the research group were located away from largely dense metropolitan areas. The study claimed that heat island effects were being carried by a distance of up to 6 miles (10 kilometres) from the facilities.

The new study comes as key US players in the AEC industry are looking to capitalise on the expansion of AI investment amid uncertain market conditions.

"A moratorium is needed"

It may give credence to opinions in the industry and in society that have been cautioning against the unfettered building of data centres.

"The prevailing logic has been one of acceleration, the infamous 'move fast and break things', which translates into building capacity first and perhaps mitigating later," Harvard researcher and architect Marina Otero Verzier told Dezeen. "If development continues at this pace, we will see a significant increase in emissions, the intensification of thermal effect."

"These impacts extend well beyond the data centers themselves, shaping entire territories, although those living next to them usually bear the burden."

"In a context of ecological fragility and energy instability, a moratorium is needed, followed by a much stricter regulatory framework that would involve public oversight."

Otero's researches the ecological impact of data centres and has advocated for better sustainable approaches to their design and construction.

While ecological-mindful data centre design is achievable, it is not the norm.

"There are indeed more advanced, eco-social designs being developed all over the world, yet the industry's commitment to their implementation is not keeping pace with the speed, scale and territorial ambition of hyperscale growth," she said.

"[The study's] findings align with a growing body of research on the impacts of data center expansion. While I haven't had the opportunity to examine their figures in depth, the broader claims are consistent with what we are seeing all over the world, and more importantly, with what communities experience every day when living near hyperscalar facilities," Otero continued.

"They can really tell that their environment is changing."

The impetus to reform data centres, which are anticipated to exceed $150 billion in design and construction fees within the United States by the end of this decade, comes as other commentators have raised concerns over their role in the building industry's rising carbon footprint, potentially doubling by 2050.

Last year, the data centre market nearly doubled from pre-pandemic levels, reaching $350 billion globally.

Dezeen recently covered the appearance of two unique new data centres in Beijing and Sweden. Cambridge researchers also published a 2023 study debunking claims about the energy efficiency of insulation used in UK homes.

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