OPINION — Arizona is being asked to absorb a wave of new artificial intelligence and data center plants, each one consuming massive amounts of electricity and releasing equally massive amounts of waste heat.
These facilities run continuously, and every megawatt they use becomes heat that must be expelled into the surrounding air. In cold climates, that heat is an asset. In greater Phoenix, it is a direct threat to public health.
The core principle is straightforward: AI plants should be built only where their waste heat can be used.
