SoftBank announces AI investment of up to €75B in French data centers
SoftBank Group, a Japanese international investment holding company, is willing to invest up to €75 billion to develop and operate 5GW of AI data center capacity in France.
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SoftBank plans to invest up to €75 billion in AI data centers across France.
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The project aims to deliver 5GW of AI computing capacity by 2031.
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Most of the initial investment will focus on northern France.
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The announcement highlights intensifying global competition in AI infrastructure.
The money will be invested in two phases.
In the first phase, the investment bank plans to invest €45 billion to deliver 3.1GW of AI data center capacity in the Hauts-de-France region by 2031, with data centers in Dunkirk (Loon-Plage), Bosquel, and Bouchain.
During the second phase, the remaining €30 billion will be used to develop additional data center sites across France. SB Energy and other strategic partners will be involved to promote the projects.
According to Masayoshi Son, Chairman and CEO of SoftBank Group, his company’s commitment to AI marks the largest AI infrastructure investments in Europe.
“AI is entering a new era, and the countries that build the infrastructure for this transformation will shape the future of technology, industry, and society. SoftBank is proud to make this major commitment to France. With its industrial capabilities, talent base, and national ambition, France is uniquely positioned to become a leading AI infrastructure hub in Europe,” Son states in a press release.
In a statement, French economic minister Roland Lescure described the announcement as a “testament to President Emmanuel Macron’s ambition to position France as a leading destination all along the AI value chain.”
In the past few months, numerous tech companies have pledged billions to advancing AI technology in Europe.
Amazon plans to invest a record $200 billion in AI, cloud, robotics, and satellite infrastructure in 2026, with significant investments allocated to Germany, including $10 billion to enhance its cloud services, logistics network, and AI infrastructure.
Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet, is planning to spend up to $75 billion in expanding its AI operation this year. Microsoft announced it will spend approximately $80 billion on AI in its current fiscal year, and Meta has pledged to invest up to $65 billion to expand its AI infrastructure.
In February, The Stargate Project, a partnership of several American tech companies from the private sector, committed to invest $100 billion in the creation of new AI infrastructure in the US, increasing to $500 billion over the next four years.
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