Japanese holding company SoftBank Group plans to invest around €75 billion in developing artificial intelligence infrastructure in France. This was reported by Bloomberg.
The project involves the construction of data centers with a total capacity of 5 GW. The first phase includes an investment of €45 billion to create a 3.1 GW AI computing cluster in the Hauts-de-France region by 2031.
SoftBank's commitments are largely the result of the personal relationship between the company's founder, Masayoshi Son, and French President Emmanuel Macron. They met during the president's visit to Japan earlier this year. During their discussions, the investor received a request for €100 billion and "began to seriously consider this matter."
"I was very impressed by how personally Emmanuel Macron is committed to ensuring France's economic success, despite the fact that our investments have so far been mainly focused in the U.S., as well as Japan and Asia," Son said in an interview with La Tribune.
SoftBank's initial plans include building data centers in Dunkirk, Boscobel, and Bouchain. The company also aims to develop additional sites across France, "strengthening the country's role as a leading European center for next-generation digital infrastructure."
European company Schneider Electric has expressed its readiness to partner on the Dunkirk site to create an infrastructure center for AI and robotics manufacturing.
Macron is expected to officially announce the investments during the Choose France summit—an annual event aimed at enhancing France's appeal for business.
It is worth noting that SoftBank is a participant in the Stargate initiative, which aims to invest $500 billion in AI infrastructure in the U.S. In March, the withdrawal of project partners OpenAI and Oracle from plans to expand a data center in Texas significantly impacted the Japanese company's stock prices.