The 2026 XDI Global Analysis of Planned Data Centres for Physical Climate Risk and Resilience assessed 2,595 planned data centres worldwide, identifying locations where physical climate hazards could damage infrastructure or disrupt operations through extreme heat and other indirect risks, potentially affecting long-term performance, insurability and business continuity.

According to the study, extreme heat is emerging as a major operational challenge for digital infrastructure. Planned data centres in Brazil, India, Mexico, Indonesia and Spain face some of the highest projected operational disruption risks globally, with more than 75 percent of analysed assets already classified as high risk. These risks are expected to increase significantly over time.

The report also found that several countries not traditionally regarded as heat-risk hotspots for data centres—including France, Canada and Australia—could experience some of the sharpest increases in climate-related operational risks in the coming decades.

The United States accounts for nearly half of the world's high-risk planned data centres, with 69 facilities identified as high risk. Nine US states have 20 percent or more of their planned facilities falling into the high-risk category.

A separate XDI assessment covering 138 existing and planned data centres across Europe found that productivity losses could be up to ten times higher when indirect climate risks are considered alongside direct physical damage.

The study noted that resilience measures—including careful site selection, stronger engineering standards and targeted resilience investments—can significantly reduce climate-related risks before construction begins.

Globally, around 6 percent of planned data centres (154 out of 2,595) are classified as high risk in 2026 under low-resilience construction scenarios.

Regional analysis showed that Southeast Asia, East Asia and South Asia have the highest concentrations of high-risk planned data centres, at 20 percent, 13 percent and 12 percent respectively. These risks are projected to triple or more by the end of the century, underscoring the growing importance of climate due diligence as investment in digital infrastructure accelerates.

While Europe currently has only 7 percent of planned data centres classified as high risk, the continent could see a 289 percent increase in average damage risk by 2100, with several major data centre hubs facing sharp rises in exposure.

According to the analysis, a number of major global investment hubs are emerging as climate-risk hotspots. These include Oklahoma, Louisiana, Kansas and New York in the United States; Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Hauts-de-France in France; Seoul and Gyeonggi-do in South Korea; Lazio in Italy; Rio de Janeiro in Brazil; Berlin in Germany; Querétaro in Mexico; and Alberta and British Columbia in Canada.

"The global race to build AI infrastructure is accelerating at extraordinary speed," said Dr Karl Mallon, Founder and Head of Science and Technology at XDI.

"Much of the debate has focused on energy demand and water consumption. But physical climate risk is becoming an increasingly important consideration in its own right. The question is no longer simply where the next generation of digital infrastructure gets built, but whether those assets can remain operational, insurable and economically resilient over their intended life," Mallon added.