SoftBank is planning to build AI data centers with a total capacity of 5 gigawatts in France, an investment worth up to 75 billion euros.
The first phase calls for 45 billion euros in data centers with 3.1 gigawatts of capacity in the Hauts-de-France region by 2031, spread across sites in Dunkirk, Bosquel, and Bouchain. It's SoftBank's largest AI infrastructure investment in Europe, announced at President Macron's Choose France summit.
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son called France ideally positioned to become a leading AI infrastructure hub in Europe. Together with Schneider Electric, the company plans to build a manufacturing cluster for data center components in Dunkirk. Economy Minister Roland Lescure pointed to France's advantages: fast access to the European power grid, a strong ecosystem, and streamlined permitting. The investment is expected to create thousands of jobs.
At the Bosquel site, SoftBank is working with French startup Sesterce to build a large-scale "AI factory" that combines energy, compute power, and local partnerships. Sesterce CEO Youssef El Manssouri called the partnership "a defining moment […] for the future of sovereign AI infrastructure in Europe." France is also home to Mistral, the only relevant EU AI startup with its own large language models.
