TL;DRSoftBank will invest up to €75B ($87B) for 5 GW of AI data centres in France. The first phase delivers 3.1 GW by 2031 for €45B.
SoftBank plans to invest as much as €75 billion ($87 billion) to build 5 gigawatts of AI data centre capacity in France. It is the Japanese conglomerate’s biggest AI infrastructure commitment in Europe. CEO Masayoshi Son and President Emmanuel Macron are expected to formally announce the deal at the Choose France Summit this weekend.
The first phase comprises €45 billion to deliver 3.1 gigawatts across three sites in the Hauts-de-France region by 2031: Dunkirk, Bosquel, and Bouchain. Schneider Electric will be a strategic partner at the Dunkirk site, creating a hub for AI infrastructure and robotics manufacturing positioned to serve London, Brussels, and Amsterdam.
The investment reflects personal diplomacy. Son was “very impressed by the fact that Emmanuel Macron is so personally committed to ensuring France’s economic success,” he told La Tribune. Macron approached Son directly during a visit to Japan earlier this year. Son, accustomed to fielding inquiries from corporate leaders, was intrigued by an approach from a head of state.
Bloomberg had previously reported that Son floated the idea of investing as much as $100 billion in France. The confirmed figure of €75 billion is smaller but still represents one of the largest single infrastructure commitments any country has received for AI.
