Thermal imagery from space offers a rare view of heat output from high-load facilities
Booming demand from artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency mining has been pushing electricity use higher worldwide, putting growing strain on power grids as energy-hungry data centers expand at a rapid pace.
A high-resolution thermal image released this month by UK-based thermal satellite operator SatVu offered a rare glimpse at activity inside a high-load site, with heat signatures tracing where cooling and electrical systems are under load.
The image shows a Bitcoin-mining data center campus in Rockdale, Texas. According to the website space.com, Rockdale is home to Riot Platforms’ Bitcoin mine – described as the largest in the US – with estimates putting its power demand at about 700 megawatts, roughly the same as the electricity use of around 300,000 homes. The site has been criticized for its electricity consumption and carbon footprint.
“Today’s data center buildout is moving incredibly quickly, and the world needs better ways to understand what’s actually happening on the ground,” SatVu business development VP Thomas Cobti said, adding that thermal data gives an objective view of operational activity as it occurs.
The International Energy Agency estimates that data centers used around 415 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2024, or about 1.5% of global power consumption, and says rising AI use is accelerating the sector’s growth.
Tech giants have been pouring money into AI, driving demand for power-hungry computing since ChatGPT was released in November 2022 and rapidly gained mass adoption.
Global investment in data center infrastructure is expected to keep rising this decade, as demand for AI and cloud capacity grows. SatVu cited a McKinsey estimate that more than $7 trillion will be spent worldwide by 2030, with US demand growing 20% to 25% annually.
According to a recent Rest of World report, nearly 9,000 data centers were operating worldwide as of October 2025, with the total expected to triple by 2030. Its analysis showed that many countries hosting such facilities have been scrambling to meet rising power demand, while regulators sounded the alarm over soaring electricity use, water consumption for cooling, land use and broader environmental impact.
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