Behind artificial intelligence (AI) run countless supercomputers and data centers, essential to its operation. “Making France a country at the forefront of AI” will therefore necessarily involve the construction of new data centers in France, underlines the Artificial Intelligence Commission in its report submitted, Wednesday March 13, to Emmanuel Macron.
“Europe’s dependence on the United States, already strong in data centers, is even more glaring for computing power”, underlines the document. The United States has 2,109 data centers, or a global share of 37.8%, compared to 1,244 for all European Union countries (22.3%), and around 250 in France.
To encourage a ” startle “, the commission proposes several measures. First of these: simplifying the procedures for installing a data center, like those benefiting projects of major national interest defined by the law relating to green industry of 2023. This status allows , in particular, to bring under the jurisdiction of the State, and no longer of the mayor, urban planning authorizations for all “industrial project which is, given its purpose and its scale, particularly in terms of investment and employment, of particular importance for the ecological transition or national sovereignty”.
Other measure: “Make the computing and data center sector eligible for electro-intensive status. » Created by the energy transition law of 2015, the latter allows companies that consume a lot of electricity to “benefit, for all or part of their sites, from special electricity supply conditions. In return, they undertake to adopt best practices in terms of energy performance”.
“A significant cost”
The commission touches a sensitive point here. Already very electricity hungry, data centers will be even more so with AI, according to a report, published on January 24, by the International Energy Agency : their consumption could increase from 460 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2022, or 2% of global demand (including 25% for cryptocurrencies), to 1,050 TWh, a jump equivalent to the consumption of an additional country, of order of that of Germany.
“Electricity consumption represents a significant cost for market players: it is therefore a key factor in the location decision”, recognizes the AI commission. She explains, for example, that the German DeepL, specialized in translation tools, chose, in 2023, to install its brand new supercomputer in Sweden, due to the most decarbonized energy mix in Europe – fossil fuels. represent 1% of electricity production – and a low electricity price.
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