Boosted by AI, France’s digital sector consumes and pollutes more than ever

Education, gaming, transport, retail, social media – artificial intelligence has embedded itself in everyday life. The launch of generative AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity in 2023 has only furthered this integration. In France, 77% of 18 to 24-year-olds use generative AI tools regularly – and so do one in three children over 12, according to Arcep (April 2025). These figures raise urgent questions over the digital sector’s growing share in France’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Since 2021, Arcep (the regulator of telecoms, postal services and press distribution) has published an annual report on the environmental footprint of digital technology. Titled Towards Sustainable Digital Technology, the barometer compiles data from across the industry – including data centre operators, telecoms providers and device manufacturers – to monitor its environmental evolution. The latest edition, released in April 2025 and based on 2023 data, reflects a period when AI use had not yet reached current levels.

Greenhouse gas emissions from data centre operators have been increasing since 2021

Powering generative AI and internet activity requires data centres. Around 150 such facilities operate across mainland France, managed by 21 companies generating over €10 million in annual revenue. These firms represent half of France’s colocation operators – businesses whose main activity is the provision to third parties of infrastructures and equipment hosted in data centres.

Greenhouse gas emissions from these data centres increased by 11% in 2023, to reach 137 thousand tonnes of CO2 equivalent (eCO2), or 77 round trips between Paris and New York by plane. By 2022, their greenhouse gas emissions had already increased by 9%.

An increase « mainly » due to the increased electricity consumption of data centres, says Arcep. This is +8% in 2023. Electricity is used for computer equipment, cooling systems, generators and batteries...

Thousands of litres of drinking water taken to cool data centres

As data centres store and transmit information, they generate heat. To cool them and keep them operational, operators take several thousand litres of water. The amount of water taken, “mainly drinking water,” says Arcep, increased by 19% in 2023 (after an initial increase of 17% in 2022). In total, 681,000 m3 of water was taken, while a French person consumes an average of 54 m3 of water in one year. “Despite a slight increase in the efficiency of data centres, their environmental impact is increasing rapidly with the development of uses,” says Arcep.

As a symbol of the increase in use, eight new data centres have been installed in France, six of which are mainly concentrated in the Île-de-France region (since 2001, only three new data centres were installed each year). “According to RTE, this dynamic should increase with the emergence of new technologies and in particular artificial intelligence,” conjectures Arcep, “which raises major challenges in terms of availability of water and electricity resources”. To date, according to Arcep estimates, data centres account for 46% of the share of greenhouse gas emissions from digital technology in France.

The number of terminals sold is decreasing... but their size is increasing and the development of AI could encourage a move to renew them

The other half of the share of digital emissions is due to terminals, that is all the equipment that serves as an interface with our digital uses. Mobile phones, laptops, televisions, computer screens, tablets... For the second year in a row, Arcep measured the carbon footprint of 23 terminal manufacturers.

In 2023, the number of terminals put on sale by manufacturers has decreased (- 13% for mobile phones, - 17% for computer screens, - 15% for tablets...). Arcep identifies “many factors” as the explanation, including “sustained inflation in 2023” and “an already high ownership rate of equipment for some”. Arcep estimates that a household has an average of 7.8 screens.

If, as Arcep admits, this downward trend in sales “should contribute to reducing the environmental footprint of manufacturers”, this reduction could be “offset” by “several market developments”. Arcep’s conjecture is that the integration of new features with the development of artificial intelligence could be a stimulus for equipment renewal. Also, the size of terminal screens put on sale has increased, which leads to an increase in their environmental impact, both by their manufacture and their use. In 2023, 55% of phones on sale had a size greater than 6.5 inches, compared to 41% in 2021. In the shelf department, 71% of those put on sale in 2023 were 15-17 inches, compared to 51% in 2021. Arcep estimates that a large TV (> 70 inches) consumes on average six times more electricity than a small model (< 33 inches).

The types of models available for sale on the market should also be considered. In 2023, 26% of the phones sold were refurbished. A rate that drops to 4% among the main telecoms operators (Bouygues, SFR, Free, Orange).

Mobile networks are expanding... but are more energy-intensive than fixed lines

These telecoms operators – which account for 4% of digital-related greenhouse gas emissions in France – continue to roll out mobile networks (3G, 4G, now 5G), enabling widespread use of data-heavy AI tools. But building and maintaining these networks requires precious metals like gold, silver, platinum and palladium. “The manufacturing phase of mobile network equipment represents an important part of the depletion of strategic metals and minerals and of the carbon footprint in the life cycle of networks,” says Arcep.

In 2023, manufacturing used 2.4 tonnes of precious metals. A decrease for the second year in a row, but “mainly due to a significant reduction in equipment sales, not a change in product composition,” says Arcep.

It should be noted that the energy consumption of mobile networks is dependent on their use by users, unlike fixed networks (Wi-Fi: optical fibre). Annual energy consumption per GB of data on mobile networks is four times higher than on fixed networks. In short, surfing the Internet via mobile networks is much more energy-intensive than using Wi-Fi.

With the rise of generative AI solutions, it is difficult to see how the digital sector could become cleaner in the coming years. While the sector currently accounts for 4% of France’s emissions – based on already outdated figures – the trajectory points sharply upward.

Note that this barometer takes into account both the direct emissions generated by the company (fuel consumption, gas...) and indirect emissions (electricity consumption). However, it does not take into account indirect emissions from sources that are not controlled by the company, including emissions associated with the use of the company’s purchased assets