Researchers and residents in Slough, England, have raised concerns that the town’s high concentration of data centers may be contributing to increased local temperatures. The industrial town, located west of London, houses approximately 40 data centers, which transfer heat from computer servers into the surrounding atmosphere to keep machinery cool.
A study published by scientists at the University of Cambridge earlier this year analyzed 11,000 data center locations worldwide. The research found that these facilities can create a "heat island effect," raising local temperatures by an average of 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, with localized spikes reaching up to 16 degrees. While the Slough hub was not specifically included in the published study, co-author Andrea Marinoni noted that the density of facilities in the town presents an unstudied "compound effect."
Temperature data analyzed by CBS News for the month of July compared Slough to the nearby towns of Windsor and Uxbridge. The analysis found that Slough was just over one degree warmer on average than its neighbors during that period. Residents reported difficulties managing temperatures in the 90s, noting that typical morning cooling has become less effective.
A spokesperson for Digital Realty, a company maintaining several facilities in Slough for clients like Amazon and Microsoft, stated that any large development with pavement and buildings can contribute to localized warming. The company said it mitigates this by using light-colored roofing to reflect solar energy, maximizing green space, and operating efficiently to keep heat output lower than the industry average. Ladd Keith, an Associate Professor at the University of Arizona, noted that the large, block-like structure of data centers can be particularly conducive to the urban heat island effect compared to other types of built environments.
The scale of this infrastructure is significant for the United Kingdom’s energy and environmental planning, as data center energy demand is projected to account for 10% of the country’s total power by 2032. Beyond Slough, the issue affects other major hubs, including Loudoun County, Virginia, which has more than 53 million square feet of data centers. These facilities are essential for the operations of global technology firms like Amazon and Microsoft, meaning any future regulations or cooling requirements to mitigate heat could impact the operational costs and infrastructure design of the broader technology sector.
The situation in Slough sets a potential precedent for how local governments and technology companies manage the physical footprint of the digital economy. As data center clusters grow, urban planners may face increased pressure to address waste heat as a public health or environmental factor. Currently, experts like Ladd Keith emphasize the need for more evidence on waste heat emissions across different climates. While no specific legislative deadlines were reported, the ongoing expansion of these facilities suggests that local temperature monitoring and industrial cooling efficiency will remain central to the debate over data center development.