Data centers need a considerable amount of space for the house server, which leads to many hectares of land per facility. The increasing demand for AI workloads increases the need to expand and build more data centers, whereby hyperscalers becoming the new standard.
The land acquisition of the data center is a rapidly growing problem. The earth has a limited amount of land, and the available surface shrinks with every new piece of infrastructure. In this sense, we examine how many land calculation centers, how this land use affects the environment and what the future looks like if land use is not restricted.
Understanding of the land use data center
In the nineties, the increase in internet startups caused an infrastructure boom for data centers. Old office buildings were converted into data centers, empty fields were easily connected to plots and buildings to local energy hillers in order to support the electricity requirements without burdening the offer.
According to Stream, 1 to 2 megawatts in the 90s are now more than 40 MW in the 90s due to the increasing demand for capacity and AI workload. Data centers need more servers to satisfy this demand, which requires more space and larger power supply systems. Modern data centers need a stronger power supply than the existing network can process, which leads to further land use, since new high -voltage lines, sub -stations or microgrid can be installed.
According to McKinsey, 200 MW facilities are not outside the standard, as this is the computing power that is required to support the AI workloads. In 2022, the average performance density per server shelf was 8 kilowatts (KW). In 2024, AI-capable server more than doubled the average electricity density per server shelf to 17 kW. The performance density will only increase if the AI demand grows. McKinsey's report estimated the average performance density to 30 kW until 2027.
Pankaj Sachdeva, senior partner at McKinsey, said that the global demand for data center is around 60 gigawatts by the end of 2024 and is expected by 2030. However, the restrictions on electricity and supply chains make this a challenging goal for data centers, especially since it takes 18 to 30 months to build a new data center without information.
Data Center Land Use according to the numbers
Typical locations of the data center need at least 10 acres of free land. This space applies to more than just facilities to accommodate data halls. It also includes space for electricity and network infrastructure, cooling devices, water systems and personnel systems.
On average, a full data center occupies 40 hectares of land. According to Statista, there will be more than 10,000 data centers worldwide in March 2025. If the 10,000 existing data centers each occupied 40 hectares, the estimated total use of 400,000 acres or about 528,000 soccer fields would be.
The average size of the data center has changed from 2024. According to Cushman & Wakefield, the average state center -Land transaction is 224 tomorrow, which has increased by 144% since 2022. As a rule, the AI calculation centers require at least 200 hectares to absorb the physical footprint, which is required to support AI workload. The total land requirements for modern hyperscallers often exceed 200 to 500 acres. Some companies buy 1,000 tomorrow or more for future growth and the expansion of their campus of the data center.
Environmental impacts
The landscape of the data center has a negative impact on the environment by increasing CO2 footprint, limiting the country, causing the loss of habitats and destroying natural resources.
Construction of data centers in or near environmentally friendly locations damage local ecosystems. Thinning out or removing forests and the building via grassland roam the land of other essential uses such as agriculture, nature conservation and living space. In addition, the deletion of the state, the construction of facilities and the ongoing operation of data centers is based on greenhouse gases that continuously damage the environment.
Increased CO2 footprint
The development of data centers increases greenhouse gas emissions, especially during the construction phase. The energy -intensive character of the structure and operation of these facilities creates a continuous source of emissions that remains throughout its entire operational lifespan.
Use of renewable energies can reduce carbon emissions, but methods such as Solar cannot participate in sustainable large data centers. According to Simple thread, 1,446 tomorrow would need solar collectors to supply a 100 -MW hyperscale calculation center with electricity.
Land restrictions and losing habitat
The available country is often in places where the infrastructure of the data center infrastructure must be created. The design is one of the most devastating effects of the development of data centers. Trees play an important role in filtering carbon emissions. Removing trees deteriorates the air quality, releases carbon emissions and disturbs ecosystems.
The landlord of the data center is also a significant threat to arable land, grassland and wetlands. The cumulative effects of replacing these various ecosystems with industrial facilities have environmental consequences that go beyond the immediate construction site.
The conversion of arable land into locations for data centers reduces areas for food production, agriculture and biological diversity that worsen local nutritional security and agricultural economies. The transformation of grass landscapes destroys natural landscapes, which are very effective when sequesting carbon. The destruction of wetlands eliminates an important natural infrastructure, which depends on the municipalities for the protection against environmental hazards and clean water resources.
The fragmentation, dismantling and loss of habitats of wild animals, including those of endangered species, cause long -term ecological imbalances. Local species are exposed to when their habitats are converted into industrial use.
Destruction of natural ecosystems and resources
The development of the data center leads to a deterioration and erosion of the soil in the surrounding areas. Grassland regulate water and receive soil health, while wetlands provide water filtration, flood protection and coastal stabilization.
Changes to the landscape change the natural water flows and lead to complications to the rainwater drainage and the compromises in water quality in nearby waterways and groundwater ladders. The breakdown and drainage of natural resource areas reduce the environmental services of these ecosystems and reduce their ability to support biological diversity and maintain ecological balance.
The future of the LandesCenter
With increasing demand for data center capacity, the stakeholders face a complicated question: Where can the industry go from here? The industry must prioritize operational needs and at the same time minimize its environmental impact. The regulation of the location selection, experimenting with unique environments and the integration of sustainable landscape design practices could be the initial steps to direct the future of the development and land use of the data centers.
Regulation of the location selection
According to the National Park Conservation Association, developers often target land near national parks and historical sites, which represents the risk of crucial ecosystems for natural country.
In order to protect these areas, local municipalities have to rethink land use regulations, zoning codes and classifications. It is important to ensure that the locations of the data center are of critical habitats, while the local regulations and the mood of the community are taken into account. Due diligence when securing special usage and zoning permits is required, and strategic constructions can help protect environmentally sensitive locations.
Unique environments for a data center
Data centers are traditionally built horizontally to optimize the costs per megawatts. However, the vertical building infrastructure infrastructure would protect land use. Vertical data centers can be closer to customers in urban areas and improve latency and connections. However, the costs for the extension of the infrastructure are much steeper to build than horizontal.
Due to the limited land availability, the developers of data centers examine innovative methods to select the locations. Data centers are built underground, under water and possibly in space.
Sustainable construction
Sustainable landscape practices and maintenance efforts can also make a large contribution to the return of the region. Data centers can support local energy networks and water systems by not using electricity supply methods, such as: B. Renewable power supply on site and sustainable water management technologies.
Jacob Roundy is a freelance writer and editor with more than a decade experience with specialization in a variety of technology topics such as data centers, business intelligence, KI/ML, climate change and sustainability. His letter focuses on demystifying technology, tracking trends in the industry and practical instructions for IT executives and administrators.