As part of a recent study, researchers highlighted the lack of resilience of data centers in the face of climatic vagaries. These risks would today concern around a fifth of data centers worldwide, a situation whose economic repercussions by 2050 could be very important.
About 9,000 sites evaluated
When the data centers are mentioned, there is often talk of their energy -consuming side, their high water consumption And therefore, of their ecological impact. Sometimes some projects see their day, mainly aimed at reusing their heat for more sustainability. We also cite the possibility of placing data centers in space, which the French company Latitude wishes to do.
Recently, the data centers found themselves at the heart of another fairly worrying subject. Specialist in climate risk analysis, the XDI firm published a new study on July 9, 2025. The objective was to assess the resilience of data centers in the face of extreme weather events. Researchers focused on eight types of climatic hazards concerning No less than 9,000 sites already existing or currently in project.
According to the results, 22% of world data centers Explain today to moderate or high risks, a rate that could reach 27% by 2050. In addition, the greatest threats weighing on these installations are cyclones (hurricanes), floods and forest fires.
Credit: ISTOCK
An important data center in the Netherlands.
Credits: Hugo Kurk / Istock
Why is the situation so worrying?
The researchers identified the most concerned areas not these risks. Between 20 and 64% of data centers in Hamburg (Germany), Sao Paulo (Brazil), Shanghai (China) and in the States of Queensland (Australia) and New Jersey (United States) are today exposed to high risks of physical damage. In addition, France is not to be outdone with significant risks in the Grand Est region. For authors, states and companies must invest in reducing emissions and making more resistant data centers on the physical level. If no measure was created by 2050, ensuring these infrastructure should be Three or four times more expensive.
“Without an urgent investment in the reduction of emissions and physical adaptation, operators may be faced with increased insurance premiums, increasing disruptions of their operations and billions of dollars in damage. Without ambitious investments and supported in the reduction of emissions in order to limit the severity of climate change, no structural strengthening can fully protect these essential assets. »»said XDI.
Finally, these concerns appear while global demand in data centers is in full boom and this, due to the development of artificial intelligence. With energy needs that should be multiplied by three by 2035, the data centers could be the cause of
67% of greenhouse gas emissions from the energy sector by 2035. A real vicious circle.
