SoftBank to invest 75 billion euros in AI data centres in France, its largest European bet
SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son said the Japanese group will invest 75 billion euros ($87.5 billion) in artificial-intelligence infrastructure in France, the largest such commitment in Europe, including 45 billion euros on data centres in Hauts-de-France by 2031. Built with Schneider Electric -- whose chief Olivier Blum called it the largest project ever undertaken in the sector in France -- the plan starts with sites at Dunkirk, Cambrai and Amiens and aims to lift French data-centre capacity from about 1.5 GW toward 5 GW. Son cited France's status as an energy exporter and Macron's personal commitment, landing as the president opens an investment conference at Versailles on Monday.
SoftBank will spend 75 billion euros ($87.5 billion) on artificial-intelligence infrastructure in France, founder Masayoshi Son told the weekly La Tribune Dimanche in an interview published Saturday, calling it "the largest investment in Europe in infrastructure related to artificial intelligence." Of that, 45 billion euros is earmarked for data centres in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France by 2031.
France's Schneider Electric will be a partner, with chief executive Olivier Blum telling AFP it was "a significant partnership, a major project, the largest ever undertaken in France" in the sector. Schneider will help design and supply the equipment, including from a new factory at the Channel port of Dunkirk. Blum said France held roughly 1.5 gigawatts of installed data-centre capacity at the end of 2025; the project would add an initial 3.0 gigawatts and a second phase reaching up to 5.0. The first three data centres would rise at Dunkirk and near the northern cities of Cambrai and Amiens.
Son, 68, said he decided after meeting President Emmanuel Macron during a visit to Tokyo in April, and that France's status as an energy producer and exporter was "absolutely crucial" for the power-hungry facilities. He praised Macron's "strong personal commitment to ensuring France's economic success," even though SoftBank -- which holds an 11 percent stake in the ChatGPT maker OpenAI -- has so far concentrated its investments in the United States and Asia. France says it has 35 sites ready to supply the energy and infrastructure data centres require.
The pledge is a major boost to Macron's drive to draw high-tech industry to France, ahead of the international investment conference he hosts at the Palace of Versailles from Monday. The president has repeatedly warned that Europe must not let the United States and China build an insurmountable lead in AI. Son agreed that "catching up with the United States, currently the global centre of gravity for innovation, is a challenge," adding that Europe must find "the right path" to a balance between innovation and regulation.