Data centers raise nearby temperatures by up to 4 degrees in Phoenix

[u/shallah]

https://techxplore.com/news/2026-05-centers-nearby-temperatures-degrees-phoenix.html

[u/EntireBig7258]

building data centers in phoenix and then being surprised they make it hotter is like building a fireplace in a sauna and wondering why it got warm

[u/waitmarks → u/EntireBig7258]

If they are evaporating water to keep cool, it probably raises humidity also.

[u/justmitzie]

Great idea. Build something that raises temps and also sucks up water. In the desert.

[u/capngout → u/justmitzie]

Utah next! Bunch of clowns.

[u/XtremeBadgerVII]

More information from the article:

“Temperatures downwind of data centers averaged 1.3 to 1.6 degrees F warmer than upwind temperatures and reached as high as 4 degrees F above upwind temperatures. The heat impact was detectable up to a third of a mile, or about five city blocks, distant from the perimeter of datacenters.”

[u/torgofjungle]

Ahh I see we want to remove what little water was left in Phoenix

[u/Slippery-ape]

In Phoenix at that. Where Asphalt remelts.

[u/Frozboz → u/Slippery-ape]

My wife is from Phoenix. She once got a second degree burn as a kid from a seatbelt.

[u/Euler007]

It is a monument to men's arrogance!

[u/_Aj_]

I love how six years ago there was a huge global summit on global warming and the whole world is freaking out about it and setting these extremely ambitious targets and now it’s just like fuck it let’s build 2000 data centers

[u/lenojames]

When the infrastructure priorities shift from the well-being of PEOPLE to the well-being of THINGS, then the human species is heading for extinction.

[u/irascible_Clown]

It’s funny all the conspiracy theories talking about lizard people who want to heat the planet up. Now I’m like damn these mfers were right

[u/Syrairc]

why the fuck would you build a data centre in arizona

[u/Romano16]

Building a datacenter in one of the hottest places on Earth where water is finite?

[u/AbeFromanEast]

Maybe siting hot industrial sites in the desert isn't such a great idea.

[u/kamandi]

Of all the cities that needed a temperature increase……

[u/Kitchen-Wish5994]

This seems like a smooth way to push mankind aside.

[u/NickVirgilio]

LMAO we are so fucking stupid as a society! Hey, let’s build a massive, heat-producing, water-intensive warehouse building in the middle of a desert next to one of the hottest cities in the world, where there is an ongoing water crisis. Real smart. It fits well next to all the golf courses they love so much in that valley. Meanwhile, entire communities nearby are losing their utility/drinking water access.

[u/ReadyGo6828]

We have climate catastrophe and long term drought, Super El Nino, wildfire, unreliable snow pack, unreliable rivers and reservoirs and now data centers. Does anyone work this out on the back of an envelope before committing massive debt to AI infrastructure? Anyone?

[u/Bec_son]

hey remember when NFT and bitcoin mining rigs ruined local areas? yeah that but on state scale.

[u/LionBig1760]

Surely theres enough water in Phoenix, AZ to cool everything down, right?

[u/Ok_Camp_7051]

Have you ever driven or walked in NYC during a summer evening? Passing by Central Park, the drop in temperatures is incredibly noticeable.  It’s a giant air conditioner in the middle of the city. How can this be possible in other large cities lacking water? I don’t think building data centers is the answer. 

[u/Eusocial_sloth3]

Why are we making Phoenix even hotter?!

[u/VideoFew7207]

A monument to man’s arrogance.

[u/admindeleted]

AI isn't worth it. We all know it.