Surging demand from artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency mining is driving a rapid expansion of energy-hungry data centres, placing mounting pressure on electricity grids around the world.
New high-resolution thermal imagery released by UK-based satellite operator SatVu offers a rare look inside such facilities, using heat signatures to map where electrical and cooling systems are operating at peak load.
One image highlights a vast Bitcoin-mining campus in Rockdale, Texas, identified as belonging to Riot Platforms. Estimates suggest the site consumes around 700 megawatts of power — comparable to the electricity needs of roughly 300,000 homes — drawing criticism over its energy use and ‘carbon footprint’.
SatVu says thermal data provides an objective, real-time snapshot of operational intensity inside data centres as global build-outs accelerate.
According to the International Energy Agency, data centres consumed about 415 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2024, around 1.5% of global demand, with AI adoption sharply accelerating growth since the release of ChatGPT in late 2022.
SatVu have released a first-of-its-kind 3.5m resolution thermal image revealing near-real-time operational activity inside one of the largest U.S. bitcoin mining data centres, in Rockdale, Texas.@TheEngineerUK covers the activity 🔗https://t.co/rz9RXuj9F7 pic.twitter.com/R8RDu0LTUS
— SatVu (@satellitevu) December 17, 2025
Investment is expected to surge further, with McKinsey & Company estimating more than US$7 trillion will be spent globally on data-centre infrastructure by 2030. Analysts warn that power supply, water use and environmental impacts are becoming critical challenges as thousands more facilities come online.
It will be our duty to cut the (taxpayer funded) power cables and water pipes to these corporate control beast systems. We the people never sanctioned them, don’t need or want them and will not put up with sacrificing our resources to them.