Residents of Slough, home to Europe's largest datacentre park, report that the summer heat has become unbearable, with emerging research suggesting that the energy-hungry facilities are significantly raising local temperatures. On a recent hot day, Nabeel Nawaz, manager of a Chaiiwala franchise, described the heat as something 'pinching your body and burning your skin.'
Datacentre Hub's Impact on Local Climate
Slough, located 10 miles west of Heathrow, hosts an estimated 30 to 40 large datacentres, many on a central campus. These facilities, owned by companies like Equinix and Digital Realty, serve major tech firms including Amazon, Google, Oracle, and Microsoft. More datacentres are planned for a new development on the campus edge.
A preprint of a study led by Cambridge University researchers suggests datacentres create a heat island effect, raising temperatures in their immediate vicinity by an average of 2C and up to 9C. This is due to cooling systems needed for sensitive electronics, including AI chips. The UK government has proposed using waste heat from datacentres to warm homes.
Research Findings and Local Observations
Andrea Marinoni, associate professor at Cambridge and study co-author, noted the research is nascent but robust. Based on decades of satellite data, the 2C average increase was observed globally, including at datacentre complexes in Brazil and Spain. However, this may underestimate the effect of a hub like Slough, which has roughly a gigawatt of datacentres—far larger than the first-generation facilities studied, which typically consume at most 100 megawatts.
'Slough is almost like an experiment by itself,' Marinoni said, 'bringing to life a new generation of datacentres that are quite unprecedented.' On a recent Wednesday, the closest weather station to the tech park recorded a high of 36.7C, while stations further away were cooler by several degrees, with one in the town centre reaching 36.2C.
Resident Perspectives
Residents have mixed views on the datacentres' role. Didier Kindembe noted the concrete in the area also absorbs heat. His friend Matt recalled that during the 2022 heatwave, the temperature in a car park reached 45C, while nearby Windsor was 39C. Naveed Hussein, a lifelong Slough resident, said, 'People are questioning, why is it so hot? It's getting hotter.' He added, 'My computer gives off a lot of heat. So does my phone. So I have to imagine that the big datacentres do as well.'
Nawaz estimated that datacentres contribute only 10% to 15% of the extra heat, attributing most to climate change. The datacentres also provide jobs, creating a complex trade-off for the community.
