New research from Arizona State University suggests that large data centers operating throughout the Phoenix metro area may be increasing temperatures in nearby neighborhoods by several degrees, adding to growing concerns about heat, energy use, and environmental impacts tied to Arizona’s booming AI and technology infrastructure industry.
According to researchers at ASU, the massive facilities generate significant amounts of waste heat while powering and cooling thousands of servers used for cloud computing, artificial intelligence systems, online storage, and digital services. Researchers say that heat is then released into surrounding areas, creating what scientists describe as “thermal plumes” that can raise temperatures in nearby communities.
David Sailor, director of ASU’s School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, said his research team consistently detected measurable warming downwind from Phoenix-area data centers during field testing. Sailor explained that the warming effect occurred regardless of changing wind directions and often measured several degrees Fahrenheit warmer than surrounding areas farther away from the facilities.
Researchers conducted the study by mounting highly sensitive temperature sensors onto vehicles and driving around multiple Phoenix-area data centers between June and October 2025. Teams simultaneously measured temperatures both upwind and downwind from the facilities in order to compare how much additional heat was entering nearby neighborhoods.
The study examined four large facilities ranging from a 36-megawatt data center in Mesa to a 169-megawatt campus in Chandler. According to ASU researchers, facilities of that size can generate waste heat comparable to approximately 40,000 homes operating at once.
Researchers found that temperatures near the actual data center sites measured roughly 14 to 25 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than surrounding air because of heat discharged from cooling systems. As those heated air masses moved into nearby neighborhoods, temperatures downwind averaged approximately 1.3 to 1.6 degrees warmer than areas upwind, with some measurements reaching as high as 4 degrees hotter.
The warming effects were reportedly detectable up to one-third of a mile away from some facilities, which researchers say could create additional challenges for communities already struggling with Arizona’s extreme summer heat.
Sailor warned that even small increases in temperature can significantly affect public health, particularly during dangerous heat waves. Researchers cited previous studies showing that every 1-degree Fahrenheit increase during extreme heat events can raise mortality risk by roughly 2.5%.
Researchers also said the added heat can create a feedback loop within neighborhoods. Higher outdoor temperatures cause residents and businesses to rely more heavily on air conditioning, which then releases even more heat back into the surrounding environment and increases overall energy demand.
The ASU research remains unpublished and has not yet completed peer review, but the findings are already adding to debates surrounding Arizona’s rapidly expanding data center industry. Phoenix has become one of the country’s largest data center markets as companies race to build infrastructure supporting artificial intelligence systems, cloud computing, and digital storage.
Arizona currently has roughly 140 operational data centers, with dozens more proposed or under development across the Valley. Critics have increasingly raised concerns about how the facilities impact electricity demand, water supplies, land use, neighborhood quality of life, and environmental conditions.
APS and other utility providers have already warned that the massive energy demands tied to data centers are putting increasing strain on Arizona’s electrical infrastructure. Some facilities require so much electricity that utility companies say they have had to delay or reject new projects because the current grid cannot immediately support them.
The debate has also reached Arizona lawmakers. State Representative Justin Wilmeth, chair of the Arizona House Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Innovation, has supported legislation intended to speed up data center development even as community concerns grow over heat, power usage, and environmental impacts.
Despite the concerns, Sailor emphasized that data centers remain an important part of modern society and will likely become even more necessary in the future as artificial intelligence and internet services continue expanding. He said the goal of the research is not to stop development but to help identify ways to reduce harmful heat impacts on surrounding neighborhoods.
Researchers suggested several possible solutions that cities and developers could explore in the future. Those ideas include redesigning cooling systems, modifying facility layouts, improving airflow management, and creating greenbelts, parks, or wooded buffer zones around data centers to help absorb heat before it reaches nearby residential areas.
ASU researchers say they plan to continue collecting additional data under different weather conditions and at more facilities throughout the Valley in order to better understand the long-term effects of data center heat on urban environments.
Source: AZFamily
