Tokyo, May 31 (Jiji Press)--SoftBank Group Corp. said Sunday that it will develop 5-gigawatt artificial intelligence data center capacity in France at an investment of up to 75 billion euros. This will mark one of the largest AI infrastructure investments in Europe by the major Japanese technology investor. In the first phase, SoftBank Group will spend 45 billion euros to build a 3.1-gigawatt AI data center in the Hauts-de-France region in northern France by 2031. The company will construct data centers in other parts of the European country as well. To expedite the investment project, SoftBank Group will partner with Schneider Electric, a major French heavy electric machinery maker. Under the tie-up, server racks and electrical equipment to be used at data centers will be manufactured in the northern French city of Dunkirk. SoftBank Group Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son said, "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." END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]