- About 7,000 data centers operate outside the effective range of 18 to 27 degrees Celsius.
- Around 600 sites around the world experience extreme heat exceeding 27°C each year.
- Singapore hosts more than 1.4 gigawatts of data centers despite extreme heat
Most of the world data center facilities are located in climates that impose constant penalties on cooling and energy efficiency.
According to ASHRAE industry guidelines, the optimal supply air temperature for data centers is between 18°C ​​and 27°C.
However, an analysis of global data centers shows that nearly 7,000 of the 8,808 operating facilities operate outside this range.
Climate mismatch is now the global norm
About 600 businesses are located in areas where the average annual temperature exceeds 27°C, while many others operate in cooler regions with temperatures below 18°C.
In Singapore, for example, temperatures hover around 33°C and humidity levels often exceed 80%.
Still, the country has 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 demands and reduce transmission efficiency, placing additional strain on local power grids.
Data centers accounted for about 7% of national electricity consumption in 2020, with forecasts pointing to sharp growth if capacity expansion continues at the current pace.
Demand for cloud hosting has also accelerated construction in regions already experiencing persistent heat.
International energy companies estimate that data centers will consume approximately 415 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2024, or about 1.5% of global demand.
This figure is expected to more than double by 2030 as higher-density systems proliferate.
Placement decisions servers typically driven by electricity availability, electricity prices, access to water, land costs, and regulatory incentives.
These considerations often outweigh temperature suitability when operators evaluate new designs.
Air cooling remains the dominant approach worldwide, accounting for just over half of data center cooling deployments.
Liquid cooling is gaining momentum, especially for high-density racks well above 100 kilowatts, but upgrading existing capacity remains capital-intensive.
Many of the hottest data center markets also face limited energy and water resources, limiting the effectiveness of mitigation strategies.
Risk assessments suggest that by 2040, extreme heat could affect approximately two-thirds of large data centers worldwide.
In several countries, including Singapore, Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates, all operating facilities are already located in zones above the 27°C threshold.
Taken together, the evidence shows that current expansion models prioritize short-term demand and regulatory compliance over long-term environmental performance.
There are reports that AI is in bubble territory, with prominent figures such as Michael Berry and Pat Gelsinger, warning of overvaluation and speculative hype.
The rapid expansion of AI workloads is driving unprecedented data center growth, dramatically increasing power requirements and operating costs.
This surge in energy consumption illustrates one of the clear economic consequences of the supposed AI bubble, linking inflated expectations with the actual strain on infrastructure.
By using Tom's Equipment
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