EXPLAINER: How AI data centers heat up land

The Pax Silica initiative has raised many environmental concerns, including fears that the project could consume excessive amounts of electricity and water.

Another concern is the heat that it would generate if an AI data center is built. But how could an AI data center cause its environment to become hotter?

According to a special report from Mariz Umali, there is a study that says that AI data centers cause a “data heat island effect."

This is when the land surface temperature where AI data centers are built becomes hotter. The study posited that the land surface temperature could rise by 2°C.

The hotter temperature is caused by the exorbitant amounts of electricity that the AI hub consumes. According to Data Center Asia, the amount of electricity that an AI data center needs depends on its size.

In 2025, AI data centers were estimated to have consumed 448 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity.

Because of the large amount of electricity being consumed, there is a need for a cooling system. The heat from the AI hub is redirected by the cooling system and is directed outwards, creating waste heat.

One study estimated that the waste heat from one data center is more than the heat generated by 40,000 households.

The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) has claimed that there will be no AI data center in the Pax Silica initiative, which is set to rise in Tarlac.

Instead, the BCDA said that it will be a manufacturing hub for chip technology and semiconductors. It also said that it would use its own power sources.

However, the hub will still use a large amount of electricity, which would still generate heat. At least 72 million kilowatt-hours per day are needed to operate Pax Silica.

Should the project push through, it could add up to 26 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity consumption to the country’s total use. —Jean Mangaluz/LDF, GMA News