Arizona data centers warming neighboring communities by ‘several degrees’

Emerging research from Arizona State University's School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, led by director David Sailor, has found that data centers in the Phoenix area are warming neighboring communities by several degrees Fahrenheit. Using mobile temperature sensors, Sailor's team consistently detected a heat plume extending downwind from data centers, with areas closest to facilities measuring 2.5 degrees warmer on average in one instance. Sailor emphasizes that data centers, consuming as much electricity as 25,000-30,000 homes while occupying a fraction of the space, produce significant heat emissions (2,000-6,000 watts per square meter). This heat is primarily expelled through rooftop AC systems. The nighttime impact is particularly concerning, as reduced atmospheric mixing height concentrates emissions, hindering the body's recovery from daytime heat and potentially increasing heat-related deaths. These preliminary, unpublished findings arrive amidst a national debate on data center impacts. In Arizona, the House of Representatives recently passed a bill, now with the state Senate, that would remove certain environmental review requirements for utilities building power plants adjacent to data centers. Republican state Rep. Justin Wilmeth, chair of the House Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Innovation, supports data center growth, framing it as a national security imperative. However, Sailor suggests local regulations, including rooftop equipment design and municipal building codes, could mitigate the heat impact on neighborhoods. He advocates for responsible development to manage the environmental consequences of the rapidly expanding data center industry.