France is facing growing opposition to the expansion of large data centers, which are energy-intensive facilities that store and process vast amounts of digital information. These centers are essential for the functioning of the internet, cloud computing, and increasingly, artificial intelligence (AI). Concerns have risen over their environmental impact, particularly their high electricity consumption. Currently, France hosts more than 350 data centers, some of which require up to 100 megawatts of power. A major new project in Fouju, Seine-et-Marne, is expected to consume 1.4 gigawatts once fully operational by 2030, making it the largest data center in Europe. This has already sparked significant public opposition, with a petition gathering nearly 70,000 signatures against the project. The expansion of data centers is largely driven by the increasing use of AI in daily life, from virtual assistants to recommendation algorithms. According to Data For Good, a group of 7,000 tech professionals, there are around 12,000 data centers worldwide, with 3,000 in Europe and over 350 in France. These facilities currently consume about 2 gigawatts of power, and that is projected to rise to 4 gigawatts by 2028 and 6 gigawatts by 2030. This growth is partly due to the French government’s push to bring data storage back to France, as currently about half of French data is stored in data centers located in the United States and China. Environmental concerns are central to the debate. According to the Agency for Environment and Energy Management (Ademe), data centers in France already consume about 10 terawatt-hours annually, which is roughly 2% of the country's total electricity use. Bruno Lafitte, an engineer at Ademe, points out that while France currently has enough electricity to meet demand, there are concerns about how power might be allocated in regions where new data centers are being built. RTE, the French electricity transmission system operator, notes that data centers are currently using only about 20% of the power they requested, with operators estimating it could take 10 to 15 years to reach about 80% of their projected consumption. Beyond electricity use, opponents highlight other environmental risks, such as heat emissions from the centers, water use for cooling systems, and potential air pollution from backup generators and fuel storage. In response, the European Union is considering a rating system for data centers, similar to the Nutri-score used for food products, to provide transparency on their environmental impact. Meanwhile, several large data center projects are moving forward, including a Google facility in the Indre region that led to the resignation of a local mayor, and SoftBank's plan to build three data centers in the Hauts-de-France region, with a combined capacity of 3.1 gigawatts by 2031.