Data centers, the invisible pillars of the digital world, generate a considerable amount of so-called “waste” heat, which is often dissipated without being put to use. In this era of energy transition, however, this heat represents a resource that remains largely untapped.

This roundtable aims to explore concrete opportunities for recovering and reusing this energy, while examining the technical, economic, and geographical limitations of these solutions. Between innovation, infrastructure constraints, and regulatory challenges, how can we transition from an energy-intensive model to a more circular approach?

● The true potential of waste heat: what volumes, what temperatures, and what possible uses (district heating, industrial, commercial)?
● Technical and economic barriers: distance from heating networks, infrastructure costs, intermittency, and building adaptation.
● Use cases and lessons learned: examples in Europe and France, including successes as well as practical limitations.
● Role of public and private stakeholders: regulation, incentives, and partnerships between data center operators and local governments.
● Toward data centers that “benefit the region”: can their establishment be made contingent on energy recovery?