Can a Data Center Sweat?

This bonus content is a reading from Platypus, the CASTAC Blog. The full post by Miriam Fahimi can be read at https://blog.castac.org/2026/08/can-a-data-center-sweat/. About the post: Heatwaves push data centers to their thermal limits. The continuous operation of their servers depends on energy- and water-intensive artificial cooling, with far-reaching yet still insufficiently understood consequences for both societal and environmental well-being. This contribution examines the meanings and implications of artificial cooling in data centers and asks whether a data center can, in its own way, learn how to sweat. (This episode is available in additional languages on Platypus, The CASTAC Blog.)