Around the data centers fueling the rise of AI, temperatures are already rising to +9.1°C, with an average rise of 2°C in neighboring areas. According to a study conducted by the researcher Andrea Marinoni at the university of Cambridgemore than 340 million people now live within 10 kilometers of these new heat islands.
Often presented as “in the cloud”, these data centers are in reality giant buildings which continuously reject the heat released by the servers and their cooling systems. Their multiplication, driven by generative AI, creates a silent ecological catastrophe which adds to classic heatwaves and directly threatens territories, including in France.
How do AI data centers heat up to 10 km around?
The team of Cambridge analyzed twenty years of surface temperature data from the sensors of the NASA (2004-2024), crossed with the location of more than 6,700 hyperscalers, these giant data centers which can exceed 90,000 m². By focusing on sites far from large cities and filtering out the effect of global warming, researchers observe, after the commissioning of a center, an average rise of 2°C, which can peak at 9.1°C, over a radius of approximately 10 km.
At Mexicothe region of Bajiothe global data center hub, has gained 2°C in twenty years, just like theAragon in Spainwithout neighboring provinces following the same trajectory. For the sustainability specialist Deborah Andrewscited by Les Numériques, “the race for AI gold seems to prevail over good practices and systemic thinking”. The researcher Ralph Hintemann considers these figures “very high”, but recognizes that the electricity consumed by these centers remains a major climatic point.
Why will this AI thermal bomb continue to grow, particularly in France?
Generative AI has become a reflex: nearly 4 out of 10 French people already use it, according to Friends of the Earthwhile companies, states and armies integrate it everywhere. As a result, France already has 352 data centers and is planning many more. Globally, BloombergNEF estimates that investments in these infrastructures will reach 760 billion dollars, or around 710 billion euros, in 2026. “One of the characteristics of AI is that it always needs more of everything: data, computing power, energy”, summarizes the researcher Alex de Vries at the University of Amsterdam, for whom this logic is “completely incompatible with climate requirements”.
Can we still slow down this ecological catastrophe linked to AI?
In France, data centers have already consumed around 12 TWh of electricity in 2022, and the CESE anticipates 50 to 70 TWh in 2035, or almost 10% of current consumption. On the water side, a large site can use up to 1.5 million liters per day for cooling, the equivalent of more than 13,000 homes, while French centers have taken around 600,000 m³ in 2023. Friends of the Earth also warn about the demand for metals, the copper needed for data centers could increase sixfold by 2050. According to the Guardian“Actual emissions from Big Tech-owned data centers are likely about 662% – or 7.62 times – higher than those officially reported.”
Faced with this excitement, cities like Dublin And Amsterdam have issued moratoriums on new projects. In France, collectives like “The cloud was under our feet” or opponents of the Rovaltain project are starting to weigh in on the debate. Aware of the limits of his study, not yet peer-reviewed, Andrea Marinoni hopes that it will serve as an electric shock: “There is perhaps time to consider another path, without affecting the demand for AI.”