- Nearly 7,000 data centers operate outside the effective 18 to 27 Celsius range
- Around 600 facilities face extreme heat exceeding 27°C annually worldwide
- Singapore hosts over 1.4 gigawatts of data centers despite intense heat conditions
The majority of the world’s data center capacity is located in climates that impose permanent cooling and energy efficiency penalties.
According to industry guidance from ASHRAE, the optimal supply air temperatures for data centers range from 18°C to 27°C.
Yet an analysis mapping global data centers shows that nearly 7,000 of the 8,808 operational facilities operate outside this area.
Climate disruption is now the global norm
About 600 facilities are located in areas where average annual temperatures exceed 27°C, while many others operate in cooler areas below 18°C.
Singapore, for example, has temperatures of around 33°C, with humidity levels often above 80%.
Still, the country hosts more than 1.4 gigawatts of operating capacity, and authorities have approved several hundred additional megawatts under tighter efficiency controls.
Higher ambient temperatures increase cooling demand and reduce power transmission efficiency, putting additional pressure on local power grids.
Data centers accounted for around 7% of national electricity consumption in 2020, with projections indicating a sharp increase if capacity expansion continues at the current pace.
Demand for cloud hosting has also accelerated construction in regions already experiencing sustained heat.
According to international energy estimates, data centers consumed about 415 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2024, or about 1.5% of global demand.
That number is expected to more than double by 2030 as higher-density systems grow.
Server location decisions are typically driven by power availability, electricity rates, water access, land costs, and regulatory incentives.
These considerations often outweigh temperature suitability when operators are evaluating new projects.
Air cooling remains the dominant approach globally, accounting for just over half of installed data center cooling systems.
Liquid-based cooling is gaining ground, especially for high-density racks drawing well over 100 kilowatts, but retrofitting existing facilities remains capital-intensive.
Many of the hottest data center markets also face limited power and water resources, limiting the effectiveness of mitigation strategies.
Risk assessments suggest that by 2040, extreme heat could affect around two-thirds of major data center hubs worldwide.
In several countries, including Singapore, Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates, all operational facilities are already located in zones exceeding the 27°C threshold.
Taken together, the data suggest that current expansion patterns prioritize short-term demand and regulatory compliance over long-term environmental efficiency.
There are reports that AI is in bubble territory, with prominent figures such as Michael Burry and Pat Gelsinger warning of overvaluation and speculative hype.
The rapid expansion of AI workloads is driving unprecedented growth in data centers, significantly increasing power requirements and operating costs.
This increase in energy consumption illustrates a clear economic consequence of the speculated AI bubble, linking inflated expectations to real-world infrastructure strain.
Via Tom’s hardware
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews and opinions in your feeds. Be sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can too follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, video unboxings, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp also.
