prospective
Study Data 2040
THE DATA LIFE CYCLE IN THE AGE OF SMART NETWORKS
For more than 20 years, the CEA and the Y.SPOT team have brought together various industrial partners to collaborate on technological and societal topics. In December 2025, the CEA presented a multi-partner foresight study entitled âData 2040â, aimed at understanding and anticipating the data life cycle in the era of smart networks.
This study brought together around fifteen partners from various sectors to produce forward-looking scenarios exploring both the opportunities offered by future developments and the limitations imposed by energy and material resources.
With the rapid expansion of digitalization across almost all areas of human activity, the impacts and benefits of this sector continue to grow. Approximately 25% of the worldâs data centers are located in Europe.
This study aims to explore the possible futures of this rapidly evolving sector and to identify the levers for increased sustainability.
partners
They participated in the study
Restitution
The public report
On December 9, 2025, the DATA2040 foresight group, coordinated by the CEA, unveiled its study on the future of data management at the premises of SNCF RÃĐseau.
More than 120 experts and leading figures from industrial, academic, and institutional backgrounds attended the event to discover the evolution scenarios of the digital value chain, as well as emerging trends and weak signals related to data center models, artificial intelligence, energy challenges, and the development of edge computing.
During a roundtable discussion, industry representatives and the Ministry of the Armed Forces shared their analyses of the studyâs findings and discussed ways to refine their strategies. This work marks the culmination of one year of collaboration involving more than 30 experts.
Discover the four major forward-looking scenarios for 2040.
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