Scientists have found an alarming environmental impact of data centers

campuscodi 18 points 5 comments March 30, 2026
www.cnn.com · View on Hacker News

Discussion Highlights (3 comments)

quantified

A data center that consumes 5GW produces 5GW of heat, yes? Or 4.8 GW of heat and 0.2 GW of noise. Roughly?

chmod775

This simultanously reads like they are surprised that thermodynamics are real while also not understanding them. Pretty much all electricity will end up as heat somewhere down the line. How localized that heating is initially does not matter much. Also all the energy consumption of data centers in the world (~500TW/h) is not enough to heat the planet a billionth' of a degree annually. It simply does not register. Global warming is not driven by the energy we convert into heat, that's miniscule. It's driven by changes in Earth’s atmosphere (and surface) that limit how effectively the planet can reflect incoming sunlight and release heat into space.

e40

Let’s not forget Benn Jordan’s work identifying sonic pollution that is making people sick. https://youtu.be/_bP80DEAbuo?si=d8ZZCMVa9txyopRs

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