'In France, the unchecked growth of data centers has more in common with the Wild West than with a digital El Dorado'

Data centers, emblematic of the ongoing digital revolution, have multiplied across France. The country has become a so-called "data center nation," with the Paris region (Ile-de-France) as its leading hub, hosting more than one third of all national facilities. Yet, on July 28, the Montreuil administrative court (Seine-Saint-Denis) upheld Le Bourget city hall's decision to withdraw the building permit for a data center project. The local ruling highlighted the urgent need for regulatory safeguards and protection.

In the Seine-Saint-Denis department, 27 data centers are already spread throughout the area, and the trend shows no sign of slowing – in fact, quite the opposite. A bill meant to regulate their installation was adopted by the Sénat on March 25, but most of its ambitions were stripped away: A proposed tax on cooling water was dropped, two out of three articles were deleted and the text itself paves the way for data centers to be designated as "major national interest projects." The bill was sent to the Assemblée Nationale, where nearly five months later it still awaits a place on the agenda.

At a time when climate change driven by human activity demands greater resilience and restraint, the Agence de la transition écologique (French agency for ecological transition) noted in a January study that increasing energy use driven by the multiplication of data centers is incompatible with commitments made under the Paris Agreement, which was signed in Le Bourget in 2015. Ironically, it is in that same city that a massive 35,000-square-meter data center is planned. Yet, as elsewhere, the rapid and largely unregulated development of these giants – out of public view and without consultation – has provoked fierce resistance and, at times, legitimate concerns.

Even if some see this proliferation as a new gold rush, the unchecked growth of data centers has more in common with the Wild West than with a digital El Dorado. For example, the summit on artificial intelligence held in Paris in February 2025 laid the groundwork to relax regulatory frameworks, paving the way for faster and more numerous data center projects across France. Furthermore, the economic simplification law, enacted on May 26, extends this special status to all major digital projects.

You have 53.23% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.