France is set to have some of its most controversial municipal elections yet, which are held across two rounds on 15 and 22 March. The left, under the coalition entitled the "Republican Front", is looking to hopefully stop the surge in support for the far-right National Rally. However, unexpectedly, these elections have been shaped by one question: what about artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure? France, under President Emmanuel Macron, seeks to become a key AI powerhouse in Europe. Pressure has come from a grassroots campaign concerned about local communities and the country's future amid the ever-growing prominence of AI.
France and AI
To put into perspective what is actually happening, we have to look at the background. Currently, France is ruled by President Macron, who is affiliated with the Renaissance party, a party that is often described as liberal and centrist. Centrist politicians like Macron typically tend to believe in free markets and private enterprise when facilitating economic growth, instead of relying on either state control or protectionism, where they try to promote domestic business. It also explains why Macron is choosing this path, because large-scale technological investment is the middle ground. It is modern without relying on the government to control it, and positions France as an open and competitive business partner for foreigners. Another prominent concern that has been brought up is the thought of technological sovereignty, which has been a growing concern in the European Union (EU). There has been a recent push for the EU to have its own digital infrastructure, instead of relying on traditional technological giants like the United States and China.
With all that in mind, it makes more sense why Macron has relied so much on gaining support by positioning France as a leader in artificial intelligence in the EU. He has recently declared, in fact, that the country is back in the race for the EU with the other technological giants, and backed a 109 billion euro plan in private-sector investment for AI. And data centers, regardless of their environmental impact, are central to this. So far, to his credit, Macron has gotten significant investment in data centers because it also has one more key advantage. It has a gigantic nuclear power fleet, which offers low-cost and low-carbon energy, which has been central in investors' eyes compared to countries like the United Kingdom or Germany.
However, the promises made by Macron to attract AI investment have landed very differently than those actually experiencing its effects. Candidates in at least 10 towns, including major cities, have campaigned against these data centers, in addition to calling for greater transparency. The concerns have been pretty consistent. A major worry is noise pollution, strain on the already overstrained power grids, the heat levels, but most importantly, it isn't actually creating any new jobs for locals. And to look at this, we have to look at two different focal point cases.
Le Bourget and Nozay: Two Examples
Le Bourget is a tiny, working-class town that is just north of the French capital, Paris. A proposed data center has been pitched as an economic lifeline for the town after the town's main employer, manufacturer Alstom, closed its plant three decades ago. However, many residents aren't so convinced.
Sofiane Milous, a Green Party candidate in the upcoming elections, has been the proposed data center's primary opponent. He argues that the data center won't replace jobs that Alstom had provided to the town, and would instead bring heat, noise pollution, and would be in proximity to residents, including the local school, which would be bad for their health. The project has been the primary source of contention in local politics, with residents citing that it would be the key factor in their vote. One teacher living next to the proposed site, who has already signed a petition against it, is saying that all she wants is a park.
A similar story is playing out in the town of Nozay, 26 km southwest of Paris. A proposal aims to convert a former Nokia/Alcatel-Lucent site into France's largest AI-dedicated data center, sponsored by the Data4 firm, by 2028.
Incumbent mayor Didier Perrier is backing up the project, saying it will bring up to 1,000 new jobs and bring significant tax revenue. However, he has raised some concerns by insisting that pollution concerns must be addressed before a permit is issued for the site. However, his challenger, Raphaël Bernard, is way more skeptical - although, similar to Perrier, he really isn't outright opposing it. He is just critical of the lack of community involvement, particularly given that a residential area is planned to be built next to the plant. He argues that the decision is left to national-level politicians and foreign investors, not the people affected by it.
At a National Level
While this may seem like just a local, municipal-level issue, it isn't - it is also shaping national politics. In the National Assembly, the ruling French government coalition has introduced a law that would classify data centers as "projects of national interest". What exactly does this mean? Well, it would reduce the current legal and environmental hurdles that proposed projects have to face, bypassing local authorities entirely in their decisions about proposed projects. So, local authorities wouldn't even have a say, nor the residents. The bill, a hot topic, has, however, stalled in parliament. It isn't unanimous because some politicians worry about giving so much power to the government, amid concerns that it would weaken public input and crush local communities' opinions.
