A preprint study published in March 2026 by researchers at the University of Cambridge, Singapore, and Hong Kong has put a number on the data center heat island problem the industry has quietly known about for years. AI hyperscale facilities are raising land surface temperatures in the areas surrounding them by an average of 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit. In the worst recorded cases, that figure reaches 16 degrees. The heat island effect extends up to six miles from the facility. At current data center build rates, the researchers estimate the effect already touches more than 340 million people globally.