New field reporting from Fouju, near Paris, puts cooling and waste heat at the center of objections to the Campus AI data-center plan. Site preparation has begun for 11 buildings across 90 hectares. Residents raise environmental concerns, while the developer promises to make chip-generated heat available at the site boundary for homes and industry. Environmental groups have filed legal challenges.
Site preparation has begun for the Campus AI data-center project at Fouju, a village near Paris in France. The plan covers 11 buildings across 90 hectares and is budgeted at 50 billion euros. New field interviews bring residents’ concerns about cooling and waste heat alongside the developer’s response. Associations have also challenged the project in court; those appeals were filed in September and announced on October 9.[1], [2]
The cooling design would avoid water use while employing hundreds of air-conditioning units. Nearby resident Évelyne Michel worries about her garden and soil, with concerns also raised about PFAS, a group of persistent chemicals, associated with the equipment. The objections concern a planned facility rather than pollution measured during operation.[1]
Campus AI chief executive Thibaud Desfossés promises to bring heat from computing chips to the site boundary for residential and industrial use. Local supporters cite prospective tax receipts and up to 1,000 jobs. Environmental groups cite biodiversity and other impacts in their challenges. The project’s employment expectations and heat commitment accompany a development whose construction and environmental authorizations remain disputed.[1]
