SoftBank, the Tokyo-based investment firm led by Masayoshi Son, planned to invest 75 billion euros (US$87.4 billion) in AI infrastructure in France, Son said in an interview released on May 31.

The plan includes 45 billion euros (US$52.4 billion) for data centers in Hauts-de-France by 2031, with Schneider Electric involved in design and equipment.

Schneider Electric, a France-based energy management and industrial automation company, is a partner in the project.

Chief executive Olivier Blum said the first phase would add 3 gigawatts of data center capacity, and a second phase could lift that to 5 gigawatts.

The first three sites are planned in Dunkirk and near Cambrai and Amiens, and a factory will be built in Dunkirk.

Son said France’s position as an energy producer and exporter influenced the decision because data centers consume large amounts of electricity.

The announcement comes ahead of Macron’s annual Choose France Summit, launched in 2018 to attract foreign investment, which the French presidency says has secured more than 87.8 billion euros (US$102 billion) in investment and supported over 163,000 jobs.

The plan also fits SoftBank’s broader AI infrastructure effort. In April, OpenAI and SoftBank were considering France as one possible location for an overseas Stargate site.

🔗 Source: Reuters

Recent SoftBank developments