XDI Report: Global Data Center Boom Expands Into High-Risk Climate Zones
A recent report by climate risk analytics firm XDI reveals that the global surge in data center construction is expanding rapidly into areas highly vulnerable to climate change, including severe flooding, extreme heatwaves, and volatile weather patterns.
Examining approximately 2,600 planned data centers worldwide, the study found that over 150 facilities are slated for construction in locations classified as high-risk. The analysis shows a significant concentration of these vulnerable projects across key tech hubs, with roughly 70 high-risk data centers planned for North America, 45 in Europe, and 12 in East Asia. Experts warn that coastal inundation and riverine flooding pose direct threats to the infrastructure underpinning global cloud computing and Artificial Intelligence (AI) services.