This research paper by the Arizona State University, shows how waste from four data centre facilities in the Phoenix metropolitan area, United States, are affecting local outdoor temperatures. This paper, published in May this year, is the first direct measurement provided of air temperatures in residential buildings in neighborhoods which are located near these data centres.

Data shows that the air temperatures in areas that are located downwind of data centres were on average 0.7-0.9 degrees Celsius higher than in corresponding upwind locations, with peak warming reaching 2.2 degrees Celsius. Since data centre capacities in the US are expected to only double by 2030, this paper identifies data centre waste heat, as a new phenomenon in urban thermal hazards.

The report can be bought here.