STRASBOURG, FRANCE / ACCESS Newswire / July 1, 2025 / 2CRSi (ISIN code: FR0013341781), a designer and manufacturer of high-performance, energy-efficient servers, announces that it has submitted, on behalf of a consortium of European industrial players, the application for a project named ÆTHER in response to the call for expressions of interest (CEI) launched by the European Commission and EuroHPC for the establishment of artificial intelligence “gigafactories.” This strategic initiative, supported by the “InvestAI” program, aims to mobilize up to €20 billion in public and private investment to deploy AI Gigafactories across the European Union.
2CRSi, which operates a data center and a manufacturing facility in Rouses Point, New York State, is already active in the field. This strategic presence enables the company to effectively anticipate regulatory and fiscal developments in the U.S. market. Building on this industrial foothold, 2CRSi leverages hands-on experience: its “2CRSi Cloud Solutions” teams are working closely with clients in the United States to design and deploy ultra high-density AI Factories with neutral or even negative carbon footprints.
With this expertise, 2CRSi has naturally positioned itself as a driving force behind the ÆTHER initiative, bringing together industrial partners who share a common vision of sovereign, sustainable, and accessible artificial intelligence. Among the 76 proposals submitted across Europe, the project stands out for its ambitious approach combining cutting-edge technological performance, a net-negative carbon energy model, and the revitalization of former industrial sites – embodying a new standard for sustainable digital sovereignty.
The ÆTHER consortium brings together major French and European players from the tech, energy, infrastructure, and cloud sectors, collectively representing over €30 billion in annual revenue. It proposes two industrial sites in the Grand Est region of France, at the heart of Europe, just a few kilometers from Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, and Switzerland.
Massive computing power, ready for deployment
If the ÆTHER project were to launch today, its installed computing power would be equivalent to 200,000 NVIDIA H100 GPUs – twice the threshold set by the European Commission for an “AI Gigafactory.” This exceptional capacity positions ÆTHER as one of the most ambitious projects worldwide.
The world’s first AI Gigafactory with a net-negative carbon footprint
ÆTHER stands out with a unique and sovereign energy model, combining technological performance with environmental sustainability. The infrastructure is built on a local, resilient ecosystem, bringing together:
a first power plant generating renewable electricity with a neutral carbon footprint;
a second power plant, purpose-built for this AI Gigafactory, which will generate electricity with a net-negative carbon footprint thanks to long-term CO₂ storage in the form of biochar (also known as “plant-based charcoal”);
and finally, redundancy will be ensured by an existing and operational connection to the national power grid, complemented by a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), which is already partially in service on one of the two sites.
This configuration ensures a continuous and secure power supply, meeting the (2N+1) redundancy requirements necessary to obtain TIER IV certification – the highest reliability standard for data centers, with an availability rate of 99.995%.
A circular model serving local communities
The new power plant will convert large quantities of locally sourced wood into electricity and biochar through a pyrolysis process – an agricultural soil amendment that enhances soil quality while enabling carbon sequestration for several centuries. This process makes the AI Gigafactory not just carbon neutral, but truly carbon negative.
This model will generate value at the heart of local communities: it will enable hundreds of farmers in France, Germany, and Luxembourg to develop sustainable forestry activities, creating additional income while actively contributing to the energy transition. Through this approach, ÆTHER aims to reconcile data centers with their social and rural environments.
A competitive European project aligned with NVIDIA’s ambitions
While aiming for both technological and environmental excellence, ÆTHER is designed to be the most competitive site in Europe for its clients. By integrating state-of-the-art liquid cooling technologies and optimizing energy efficiency – two areas in which 2CRSi is already recognized as a specialist – the project will significantly reduce operating costs, ensuring highly attractive pricing for end users.
The computing density per rack will reach up to 600kW in both electrical and thermal power – aligning with the levels mentioned by Mr. Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, during the NVIDIA GTC 2025 conference in San Jose, California. This performance, still unmatched in Europe, positions ÆTHER at the global forefront of AI infrastructure.
By combining technological sovereignty, environmental sustainability, economic competitiveness, and positive regional impact, ÆTHER goes beyond meeting European requirements – it redefines the very role of data centers within the European societal model.
It offers a concrete response to the ambitions of the European Union’s “InvestAI” program, within a framework that is resolutely European, sovereign, and sustainable.
Next release: Thursday, July 24, 2025 – announcement of FY 2024/2025 revenue.
About 2CRSi
Founded in 2005 in Strasbourg (France), 2CRSi designs, develops, and manufactures high-performance computer servers and innovative solutions for Artificial Intelligence, high-performance computing, and data storage. Committed to a responsible and sustainable approach, the group operates across multiple continents and delivers energy-efficient technological solutions to sectors including tech, industry, gaming, scientific research, and datacenters.
2CRSi has been listed since June 2018 on the Euronext Paris regulated market (ISIN code: FR0013341781) and transferred to Euronext Growth in November 2022.
More information: 2crsi.com
Contacts2CRSi
SOURCE: 2CRSi SA
