From Data Center Waste Heat to Olympic Gold: The Innovative Environmental Strategy Heating Paris’ Aquatic Triumphs

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Artificial Intelligence Warms Up the Olympic Swimming Venue

Situated in the northeastern outskirts of Paris, a colossal warehouse painted in a shade of terra-cotta stands, its interior a maze of corridors without windows. A loud humming sound leaks from behind numerous nondescript gray doors, while disposable earplugs are provided under the bright white lighting to shield those walking by from the sound.

This is a glimpse inside one of the latest data centers in France, finalized just this year, that's now serving a unique purpose: warming the water of the newly built Olympic Aquatics Center, a view you can catch from the data center's rooftop. Last week, when American swimming sensation Katie Ledecky clinched her ninth Olympic gold, her victory lap was in water that was warmed, to some extent, by the heat generated from the data center's equipment.

Referred to as PA10, this loud location is owned by the U.S.-based data center firm Equinix, with the buzzing noise originating from the cooling mechanisms working to reduce the heat of its customers' computing servers. "PA10 is specifically designed for high-density racks," mentions the facility's data center engineer, Imane Erraji, indicating a stack of servers designed for AI training.

Over the last 30 days, the data hub has been converting its excess hot air into water, which is then supplied to a nearby energy network managed by the French service provider Engie. When operating at maximum efficiency, Equinix anticipates it will be able to transfer 6.6 thermal megawatts of warmth from the facility, enough to heat over 1,000 residential units.

Forecasts indicate that the surge in AI technology is set to significantly increase the electricity demand of data centers. Equinix forecasts that the power usage per rack may escalate by up to 400 percent. In response, PA10 symbolizes a trend across Europe where authorities are striving to lessen the environmental toll of the impending AI-driven energy demand and are looking to repurpose data centers as a component of the system that supplies heat to urban areas.

Erraji highlights the mutual benefits of the initiative for both Equinix and the suburban area of Seine-Saint-Denis. She points out that Equinix can offload excess heat from its facility, reducing the strain on its cooling systems, while the community gains access to an affordable and locally produced heating solution. Following a €2 million ($2.1 million) contribution from the city of Paris, Equinix has pledged to supply this energy at no cost for a duration of 15 years. Furthermore, in June, Seine-Saint-Denis' mayor, Mathieu Hanotin, underscored the project's positive impact on the environment, noting that leveraging the data center for heating will cut down the region's carbon dioxide emissions by 1,800 metric tons annually.

France is recognized for its low carbon footprint in electricity generation, with the International Energy Agency (IEA) noting that 62 percent of its electrical power is sourced from nuclear energy. However, there are concerns that efforts to repurpose waste heat from numerous projects are merely diverting attention from the core environmental issues posed by data centers, such as their significant use of land, water, and electricity. Anne-Laure Ligozat, a professor of computer science at the National School of Computer Science for Industry and Business (ENSIIE) in France, points out, "It's definitely a better alternative to utilize the waste heat from these data centers than to let it go to waste. Nevertheless, the real challenge lies in the sheer volume of data centers and the vast amounts of energy they require." She further argues that opting for a simple electric heating solution, minus the data center, would be more environmentally friendly.

Lately, numerous initiatives have emerged throughout the area focused on harnessing and repurposing heat to supply warmth to residential, commercial, or educational buildings. This trend comes as data centers are urged to contribute to the European Union's rigorous environmental goals, which include a 55 percent reduction in emissions by the year 2030, according to Simon Hinterholzer, a researcher at the Borderstep Institute for Innovation and Sustainability in Germany. These initiatives have gained momentum over the last two years, fueled by a surge in European energy costs. This surge has led local authorities to seek out affordable heating alternatives to Russian gas. “This is undoubtedly linked to the conflict in Ukraine,” notes Hinterholzer.

After the construction of data centers, experts concur that initiatives to repurpose their heat are logical. "The impact is noteworthy," comments Shaolei Ren, who is an associate professor with a focus on eco-friendly computing practices at the University of California, Riverside. Ren calculates that the energy needed for cooling technology can account for as much as half of a data center's overall energy use. "By recycling this heat, businesses can effectively cut down on the energy needed for cooling purposes."

To argue that heat-reuse initiatives are advantageous, it's essential to examine the origin of the power used by data centers. Equinix states that the energy needs of PA10 are entirely met by green energy sources. This includes employing power purchase agreements (PPAs), through which tech firms compensate wind or solar farms for the corresponding amount of energy generated, regardless of whether this energy is directly supplied to the data center.

Ren points out that currently, no data center operates solely on renewable energy. He explains that when technology firms assert their data centers are powered by renewable sources or claim carbon neutrality, they're actually engaging in carbon offset practices. This involves connecting their data centers to the conventional power grid while compensating for their carbon footprint through various methods in different locations. For instance, companies using Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) may not necessarily purchase renewable energy produced in the same country where their data centers are located.

In the last week and a half, the cheers from spectators at the Olympic swimming events might have drowned out the noise from the adjacent Equinix data center. However, in Paris, as well as other European locations, there's still a level of caution regarding the rapidly growing data center industry and the changes artificial intelligence is poised to bring. The primary concern, Ligozat points out, revolves around the ongoing construction of data centers and the purposes they serve. "For me, the crucial question is whether we should keep erecting data centers," she states. "It's not about whether we should recycle the heat they produce."

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