Slough datacentre hub leaves town sweltering, study finds

techJun 26, 202614162

A new study finds datacentres clustered in Slough can raise immediate local temperatures by as much as 9C, producing a heat island effect. The research compared temperatures near the tech park with other local stations: the closest station recorded highs of 36.7C and 36.5C on consecutive days while other Slough-area stations were several degrees cooler. Slough is Europe’s largest datacentre hub and is widely reported to hold roughly a gigawatt of computing capacity concentrated near the M25. Researchers and local observers say that that scale of concentrated waste heat can intensify heatwave impacts on nearby residents and infrastructure. The findings heighten questions about planning and the consequences of further datacentre expansion around the M25.

Jim Rossignol

@rossignol.bsky.social

"Datacentres create a heat island effect, pushing up temperatures in their immediate vicinity by an average of 2C, and as much as 9C." www.theguardian.com/environment/...

861h ago

esg2

2C in the midst of a 30+C heatwave is foul. In fact, that might be the difference between life and death in some cases, if heat adaptations aren't in place. (Which, no, the UK sure doesn't have'em.)

Zoreda Ichaso2

I hope they demolish that thing

Quoting this

Turfster3

Wow who could have predicted that the thing nobody wants in their neighbourhood is always bad for the neighbourhood

Inequality News

@inequalitynews.bsky.social

🙄 Why is the human race soooo stupid...? #RejectAI #DeletCoPilot #PitchforksAgainstDatacentres🧑‍🌾 www.theguardian.com/environment/...

572h ago

Laeppli1

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ Money. All that matters is money.

Paul Da Pork Hunt & Mr Moo (Friends with Larry)1

The only thing that has been built as fast as a data center is the 2000 bed hospital in China during covid. I will not mention HS2 Housing critical infrastructure, and utility services, because they are not important to billionaires are they !

edg59.bsky.social1

Come friendly bombs and fall on Slough! It isn't fit for humans now, There isn't grass to graze a cow. Swarm over, Death! (Betjeman)

Sue B1

This should concern everyone. What are we doing!!

Quoting this

Chris Gough2

"Come friendly bombs and fall on Slough..." John Betjeman had a point...

John Paul iGhetti Jr

@dannybirchall.bsky.social

Come LLMs to roost in Slough and boil up all the humans now with endless slop us all endow. Hyperscale it, Death! www.theguardian.com/environment/...

63h ago

John Lubbock

@jwsal.bsky.social

Datacentres like one in Slough are shown to create heat islands which increase the temperature in the local area by as much as 9C. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

5Just now

Final Round Player 😷🇪🇺🍸

@jbond.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy

Datacentre heat island effect in a heatwave https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/26/slough-is-like-an-experiment-europes-largest-datacentre-hub-leaves-town-sweltering With all the datacentre building going on around the M25 around London there are huge questions. Electricity supply […]

4h ago

Dr C B Rose

@rosiewomble.bsky.social

Research on (current) datacentres shows concern for larger facilities well-founded: www.theguardian.com/environment/...

12h ago

Alex

@potentiaspace.bsky.social

"Sites like Slough, which is widely reported to have roughly a gigawatt of datacentres, are of a different scale, and with potentially far greater effects." www.theguardian.com/environment/...

33h ago

Congenial Illness

@hex.ooo

come, friendly bombs, and fall on slough! it's full of datacentres now www.theguardian.com/environment/...

22h ago

Ben (BicycleBenUK)

@ben.fiets.uk

If this is the cost of AI then let's say no, at least until a sustainable option is found. And I can't believe better isn't already possible; it's surely just down to cost: renewable energy, recirculating cooling, ground pumps for heat storage + recovery, better landscaping to reduce concrete sprawl

21h ago

Nick Langley

@nicklangley.bsky.social

#DataCentres #HeatWave "The closest weather station to the tech park, several blocks away, saw a high temperature of 36.7C that day and 36.5C the day before; other weather stations in Slough and the surrounding area were cooler, at times by several degrees." www.theguardian.com/environment/...

3h ago

dixonpuetafem.bsky.social

@dixonpuetafem.bsky.social

Using up scarce water, heating the surrounding area and contributing to climate change! Why TF are these being allowed in our communities?! www.theguardian.com/environment/...

2h ago

Nicki

@nickinjr.bsky.social

👀🥺 ‘Slough is like an experiment’: Europe’s largest datacentre hub leaves town sweltering www.theguardian.com/environment/...

2h ago

brettthecharmer.bsky.social

@brettthecharmer.bsky.social

Of course but when you’ve got a multi story hectare of high end AI computers going full throttle and constantly giving off heat, the the datacentre is the island. Combine it with multiple (dozens) of datacentres …

4h ago

John Baldy

@johnbaldy.bsky.social

We have machines creating 'art' while we humans still have to do the chores. And we're making sure the machines have lovely air conditioning while they ensure that we fry. Who is in charge here? Come friendly bombs. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

4h ago

1 source

theguardian.com‘Slough is like an experiment’: Europe’s largest datacentre hub leaves town sweltering

Slough datacentre hub leaves town sweltering, study findstech

Slough datacentre hub leaves town sweltering, study finds

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