AI uses a lot of electricity and also consumes gallons of water.
But here’s something most people don’t know.
The giant buildings that run AI, called data centres, are also physically heating up the surrounding land. A new study says that heat is reaching more than 340 million people worldwide.
IS AI HEATING THE PLANET?
Researchers at the University of Cambridge looked at 20 years of temperature data from remote sensors and mapped it against the locations of large AI data centres. These centres are sprawling facilities that can cover over 93,000 square metres and house thousands of servers.
After a data centre begins operations, surface temperatures in surrounding areas rise by an average of 2 degrees Celsius.
In extreme cases, the jump can be as high as 9 degrees Celsius, which is roughly the difference between a pleasant Delhi winter morning and a scorching May afternoon.
These heat bubbles, which scientists call “heat islands,” aren’t limited to the area right outside the facility’s fence. Temperatures were found rising up to 10 kilometres away from a data centre, about the distance from Connaught Place to Noida’s Sector 18.
Lead researcher Andrea Marinoni told CNN the planned expansion of data centres “could have dramatic impacts on society” in terms of the environment, people’s welfare, and the economy.
The pattern holds true globally, all the way from Mexico’s data centre hub in the Bajio region, which has, to Aragon in Spain, a European hotspot for AI infrastructure, both recording unexplained temperature rises of around 2 degrees Celsius that were not seen in neighbouring areas.
WHAT IS HEAT ISLAND EFFECT?
The heat island effect occurs when urban areas experience significantly higher temperatures than surrounding rural regions.
This happens because buildings, roads, and pavements absorb and retain heat, while reduced vegetation limits natural cooling.
Dense infrastructure also traps heat radiating from vehicles, air conditioners, and industrial activity.
Cities can run several degrees warmer than nearby countryside, creating a literal “island” of heat in the urban landscape.
WHY DOES IT MATTER FOR INDIA?
India is rapidly expanding its data centre capacity, with Mumbai, Chennai, and Hyderabad emerging as major hubs.
As this infrastructure grows, the heat impacts could become a pressing local concern, especially in regions already battling dangerous summer temperatures.
“The rush for AI-gold appears to be overriding good practice and systemic thinking, and is developing far more rapidly than any broader, more sustainable systems,” sustainability expert Deborah Andrews told CNN news.
The new and increasingly worrying impact of AI and what powers it highlights what AI can cost, casting a shadow on an already worrying future.
But some are still not convinced of AI’s environmental impacts.
Some researchers have said that the temperature rises appear very high and demand more peer-reviewed evidence.
But Marinoni remains hopeful, saying that “there still might be time to consider the possibility of a different path, without affecting the demand of AI and its ability to provide progress for mankind.”
As India bets big on AI and digital infrastructure, this research raises an urgent question. It asks about who pays the real price for the world’s hunger for smarter technology?
