India's data centre sector is facing
higher thermal stress due to extreme heat, leading to increased cooling demand,
electricity consumption, and water use
¨
India's data centre
sector is facing higher thermal stress due to extreme heat, leading to
increased cooling demand, electricity consumption, and water use.
¨
Planned AI data centres
in Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Karnataka have been identified among the global
locations at high risk of operational disruption from extreme heat.
¨
A data centre is a
facility that stores, processes, and distributes digital data through servers,
storage systems, and networking equipment.
¨
AI data centres and
high-performance computing (HPC) facilities generate more heat than
conventional server rooms because of dense computing hardware and continuous
workloads.
¨
Traditional air cooling
is often insufficient for high-density AI facilities; therefore, liquid cooling
is increasingly used for thermal management.
¨
The India Data Center
Liquid Cooling Market was valued at USD 166.69 million in 2024 and is projected
to reach USD 958.74 million by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 24.58%.
¨
XDI's risk assessment
covered 41 planned data centres in India, of which 12% were classified as
high-risk properties.
¨
The average damage risk
to these data centres is projected to increase by 269% between 2026 and 2100.
¨
By 2040, nearly 90% of
India's data centres could experience prolonged heat stress.
¨
More than half of India's
data centres are currently located in regions where temperatures exceed 35°C
for over 90 days each year.
¨
Bengaluru currently hosts
31 operational data centres, with 2 more under construction.
¨ The city's expanding data centre cluster is associated with the Urban Heat Island effect, noise pollution, air pollution, and high water consumption.
¨ The Urban Heat Island effect is a phenomenon in which built-up urban areas become significantly warmer than surrounding rural areas due to concrete surfaces, reduced vegetation, and waste heat from buildings and vehicles.
