Sustainability of data centers: creation of a guide and an Observatory for decision-makers in France

The first guide to "sustainable data centers that are acceptable to public decision-makers" was launched on 21/04/2026 by Ville de Demain and Station F, in partnership with France Urbaine and Paris-Île de France Capitale Économique. A national Observatory of sustainable data centers, "a unifying platform for public decision-makers", has also been launched.

"The guide provides elected representatives with the means to accurately assess the environmental, urban and socio-economic impacts of data centres, so that they can better manage, negotiate and plan their location."

"Three new, simple and pragmatic indicators have been made available to local authorities to help them make objective decisions:

● The Energy Circularity Index: recovering the waste heat generated by these infrastructures represents a major potential lever. However, heat rejected at 30°C is mainly a waste product, and not a resource that can be directly exploited without heavy public investment. The ICE weighs the reused energy by its quality (its temperature). It encourages operators to deploy technologies that enable…