A new working paper warns that the rapid buildout of AI data centers is creating measurable “heat island” effects that extend beyond the facility footprint. Researchers at the University of Cambridge’s Department of Computer Science and Technology analyzed NASA land-surface temperature data from 2004 to 2024 across more than 6,000 data centers and found average temperature increases near facilities. The study estimates nearby impacts could reach about 6.2 miles and affect up to 343 million people globally, with the paper highlighting implications for community welfare and regional environmental conditions. The findings are positioned alongside continued capital expansion in data centers to power AI workloads, raising new questions for campus-adjacent research, site planning, and sustainability commitments.