SoftBank Group just wrote what might be the biggest check in European tech infrastructure history. The Japanese conglomerate announced a commitment of up to €75 billion to build and operate AI data centers across France, a project that would represent Europe’s largest AI infrastructure initiative and SoftBank’s most substantial investment in AI outside the United States.
The announcement landed on May 30, timed perfectly ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron’s Choose France investment summit.
What the deal actually looks like
The full vision calls for up to 5 GW of AI data center capacity in France. The first phase alone carries a €45 billion price tag. That initial tranche will deliver 3.1 GW of capacity in the Hauts-de-France region by 2031, spread across three key locations: Dunkirk, Bosquel, and Bouchain.
The remaining capacity, pushing the total to 5 GW, will come in subsequent phases with the full €75 billion commitment. At current exchange rates, that total investment translates to somewhere in the neighborhood of $87 billion to $121 billion.
