New Evidence Data Centers Cause Hotter Weather

InnovationScienceNew Evidence Data Centers Cause Hotter WeatherByMarshall Shepherd,Senior Contributor.Follow AuthorMay 19, 2026, 07:45am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.STONE RIDGE, VIRGINIA - JULY 17: In an aerial view, an Amazon Web Services data center is shown situated near single-family homes on July 17, 2024 in Stone Ridge, Virginia. Northern Virginia is the largest data center market in the world, according to a report this year cited in published accounts, but is facing headwinds from availability of land and electric power. (Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images)Getty ImagesData centers continue to spread across the U.S. landscape as demand for artificial intelligence, social media, and digital services surge. Their impact on energy and water supply is well documented, but a series of new studies have revealed another potential impact of data centers. They may be creating enough heat to affect temperatures around them and produce data center heat islands or DCHIs. What Is A Heat Island?Most of you reading this are likely familiar with the concept of urban heat islands. I have studied the impacts of cities on weather processes throughout my career, so this impact caught my scientific eye. Cities typically have darker paved or rooftop surfaces, less vegetation and human activities like automotive engines or HVAC systems that produce waste heat. For that reason, they are typically warmer than surrounding suburban or rural areas and produce urban heat islands.Forward looking infrared capera illustrates temperature of different surfaces on a hot day.Marshall ShepherdHow Data Centers Warm Air TemperaturesA new study focuses on that waste heat component. If you recall standing on a sidewalk as a bus goes by, you may have experienced waste heat too. David Sailor is one of the top urban climate experts in the world. He is also the director of the School of Geographical Sciences a...