Heat pollution from data centers can increase air temperatures in nearby downwind neighborhoods by as much as 4 degrees Fahrenheit, according to a new study conducted by researchers at Arizona State University in the Phoenix metropolitan area.
The research is believed to be the first study to directly measure air temperatures both upwind and downwind of data centers in order to quantify the real-time effects of waste heat on surrounding communities. The findings were published in the Journal of Engineering for Sustainable Buildings and Cities.
The study was led by David Sailor, director of ASU’s School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, along with co-authors Soroush Samareh Abolhassani and Eli Martin.
Researchers found that the waste heat generated by a single data center can exceed the amount emitted by 40,000 households. Air-cooled condenser arrays at data centers discharge air that is between 14 and 25 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than the surrounding atmosphere, creating thermal plumes that travel into neighboring communities.
The researchers conducted measurements from June 18 through Oct. 25, 2025, by mounting high-accuracy temperature sensors on vehicles that drove around Phoenix-area data centers and nearby neighborhoods. Deployable weather stations were also used to collect local wind data.
The team simultaneously measured temperatures upwind and downwind of four facilities ranging from a 36-megawatt single-building data center in Mesa to a 169-megawatt co-location campus in Chandler. The researchers said the selected facilities reflected the design of modern hyperscale data centers that house thousands of servers and primarily rely on air-based cooling systems.
According to the study, temperatures downwind of the facilities averaged 1.3 to 1.6 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than upwind temperatures, with peak increases reaching 4 degrees Fahrenheit. The warming effects were detectable as far as one-third of a mile from the perimeter of the facilities, roughly equivalent to five city blocks.
The researchers warned that the effects could become increasingly significant as U.S. data center capacity is projected to more than double by 2030. They also noted that even relatively small increases in urban heat can have meaningful public health and infrastructure impacts, particularly in regions already vulnerable to extreme temperatures.
The study suggested that mitigation measures could include modifications to facility and cooling-system design, the addition of greenbelts or parks to buffer heat pollution, and updated siting and permitting requirements from local governments.
The research received partial support from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science, Office of Biological and Environmental Research, under the Urban Integrated Field Laboratories research activity.
KEY QUOTES:
“As we do more measurements under different kinds of atmospheric conditions, I think we’re going to see more significant impacts around data centers.”
“They’re such a concentrated load of electricity consumption and hence heat emissions that we became concerned about the impact that they could have locally, and also in the downwind neighborhoods.”
“Even if these data centers only contribute to an additional heat island magnitude of 1 degree or 2 degrees, that can still have a very significant impact on our lives.”
“Data centers are inherently an important part of our society, and they’re going to become even more necessary going forward.”
David Sailor, Director, School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning at Arizona State University
