Satellite analysis of >8,400 AI data‑centre locations finds average land‑surface warming of about 2°C after a centre opens, with extreme cases up to 9.1°C and measurable effects up to 10 km away. The warming is spatially extensive and could affect hundreds of millions of people who live near these facilities.
— If true, this creates a new category of local climate externality that should influence data‑centre siting, permitting, energy sourcing and public‑health planning.
BeauHD
2026.03.31
100% relevant
Cambridge researchers (Andrea Marinoni et al.) cross‑referenced 20 years of satellite land‑surface temperatures with coordinates for >8,400 AI data centres and report average +2°C (max +9.1°C) warming within 10 km; results posted to arXiv.
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