AI data centers are making cities warmer. Researchers calculated the exact impact

Scientists have been sounding the alarm on just how bad AI and data centers are for the environment. And now, researchers have proof that data centers are also making nearby neighborhoods 4 degrees warmer, according to a new study from Arizona State University. The findings, which were published on Monday in the Journal of Engineering for Sustainable Buildings and Cities , looked at how much heat two Arizona data centers were giving off in the Phoenix area—a hot spot for data center growth in the U.S. Researchers looked at a 36-megawatt facility in Mesa and a larger 169-megawatt data center campus in nearby Chandler. They found that not only were air temperatures warmer in downwind neighborhoods, but the heat also extended a third of a mile out from the data centers. “As we do more measurements under different kinds of atmospheric conditions, I think we’re going to see more significant impacts around data centers,” said David Sailor , the study’s lead author and director of Arizona Sta