Summary of data center fire safety methods. Credit: Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.jlp.2025.105890
Over the past decade, the ability of artificial intelligence to speed up complex processes has made it a key tool in engineering research. Many people associate AI with cloud computing, but its growth requires expanding infrastructure, such as data centers.
Led by Dr. Qingsheng Wang and chemical engineering Ph.D. students Tylee Kareck and Chi-Yang Li, researchers from Texas A&M University are investigating an unexpected threat to data centers—increased fire risk.
In a recent collaborative publication with George Washington University and the University of California, Berkeley, the team analyzed common causes of data center fires and identified strategies to reduce those risks. The research is published in the Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries.
"Our work provides insights to assess fire risk so engineers can design safer and more resilient data centers," said Wang, a professor in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering.
