Emerging research from Arizona State University (ASU) finds data centers are warming surrounding neighborhoods by several degrees Fahrenheit, a preliminary finding that could pose health risks and intensify the debate over the AI-driven expansion of the buildings across the Phoenix area.
Led by David Sailor, Ph.D., Director of ASU’s School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, the research team found consistent evidence of a heat plume extending beyond data center boundaries and into nearby communities.
To measure these effects, researchers conducted what Sailor described as “episodic, opportunistic measurements,” using mobile temperature sensors mounted on vehicles that simultaneously circled data centers to capture short-term temperature variations. Sailor joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss the early findings, research and what results could mean for the future development of Phoenix data centers.
