SUMMARY
The increasing digitization of the economy, and in particular the rise of cryptocurrencies, cloud services, streaming, industry 4.0 and generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), is driving the need for more and more data processing and hosting. According to Digital Realty, growth is on the order of 40% per year. The market is largely dominated by American firms, and over 70% of French data is stored abroad, raising questions of confidentiality, cybersecurity and digital sovereignty. There are also issues in terms of innovation, competitiveness and skills development at a time when geopolitical and commercial tensions are exacerbated around the "AI race".
Data centers are thus becoming sensitive infrastructures, caught between contradictory injunctions: issues of digital sovereignty,territorial planning and environmental transition.
Keywords: territorial attractiveness, waste heat, water consumption, electricity consumption, data center, decarbonation, digital waste, electricity, employment, energy, renewable energies, land, wasteland, GenAI, generative AI, innovation, location, artificial intelligence, digital sovereignty, net zero artificialization, ZAN.
Illustration: Adobe Stock © Pinkeyes
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