Can data centres become more efficient in the face of the AI boom?

Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Data Centres

Why do data centres consume so much electricity?

You need to understand what we’re hosting: IT infrastructure and servers from hosting providers and digital service companies that in turn provide services to hundreds of businesses and thousands of end users. These IT systems run 24 hours a day. They perform calculations and process data. These activities generate heat, much like the fan on a laptop kicking in when it’s being used. As a result, we need to cool these servers.

What concrete actions have you taken?

The Antibes data centre was built in 2009, at a time when energy efficiency was not as much of a priority as it is today. That’s why we launched a major renovation programme in 2023. This includes a new, more sustainable design for housing the servers, new electromechanical equipment that consumes less energy and the recovery of waste heat. As a result, we have reduced our electricity consumption by 15%.

How do you make use of the heat produced?

Previously, the hot air generated by our data centre — what’s known as “waste heat” — was simply released into the atmosphere. It was a real waste that needed to be addressed. Now, we recover a significant portion of this heat to maintain the temperature of office areas and certain equipment such as generators.

Artificial intelligence is already helping us manage our energy efficiency. We use analytical systems that detect instances of overconsumption, optimise the cooling process and aim to prevent failures. AI allows us to simulate different energy scenarios and select the most efficient options.

These efforts have paid off. In February 2025, our Antibes data centre was awarded the Gold Trophy for Energy Efficiency at the French Energy Saving Championships. It’s a great recognition of our commitment to greener digital infrastructure, and it motivates us to push even further.

The next step is to generate electrical or thermal energy from the waste heat.

Supply can no longer keep up with demand...

What impact is artificial intelligence having on your infrastructure?

We are witnessing an explosion in demand. Artificial intelligence has been around since the 20th century, but it is the technology and technical progress of recent years that have enabled its rapid entry into our lives. Generative AI has caused an explosion in demand for computing power, memory and processing power. Models must be trained and then used, which requires more and more servers and therefore more and more energy consumption.

Faced with this increase in server requirements, at nLighten France we are adapting in several ways. We are continuing to modernise our existing infrastructure to make it more efficient. We are also continuing our regional expansion strategy. With AI, the closer the data processing is to the end user, the shorter the latency and the more enjoyable the experience with AI-powered tools. Finally, we are expanding the size of some of our data centres.

We are currently resizing our second site in Sophia Antipolis to effectively meet the needs of AI. This represents an investment of more than €50 million. This development is strategic for the technology park, as the region is home to many players with high digital resource requirements who are increasingly using AI in their processes: innovative companies, research laboratories, schools and universities, as well as public services. To maintain its position as a benchmark in the French economic landscape, Sophia Antipolis will therefore be able to count on a data centre that is fully geared towards meeting new needs.

Is it really possible to reconcile this growth with climate goals?

That’s the key challenge. While energy in France is currently available to support the development of our data centres, we must avoid hitting a wall. When we do an online search or interact with a conversational tool, we don’t usually realise the amount of energy involved. From what I see, there’s no sign of a slowdown in AI development and deployment. That’s why industry players are now integrating energy efficiency right from the design stage. Establishing data centres that are more environmentally responsible is essential today.