SoftBank has committed to investing as much as €75 billion in artificial intelligence data center infrastructure across France, with an initial €45 billion phase targeting 3.1 gigawatts of capacity by 2031. The announcement came Monday at the Choose France summit hosted by President Emmanuel Macron.
A multi-billion euro bet on French AI
The Japanese conglomerate plans to build a total of 5 gigawatts of AI data center capacity in the country. The first wave of development will concentrate in the Hauts-de-France region, where three sites have been identified: Bosquel, Bouchain, and Dunkirk. More locations are under consideration as SoftBank scales up its European footprint.
SoftBank Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son said the investment will expand access to computing power for AI companies, enterprises, cloud providers, public institutions, and research organizations. The statement came as part of a broader push by the French government to attract foreign tech investment.
Three sites, 5 GW of compute power
Each of the three named sites will host data centers designed specifically for high-performance computing workloads. The total planned capacity of 5 GW would make the project one of the largest dedicated AI infrastructure buildouts in Europe. SoftBank expects the facilities to come online in phases, with the first 3.1 GW delivered by 2031.
The company has not yet disclosed the exact power usage or construction timeline for the additional 1.9 GW beyond that initial target. Site selection for later phases remains open, with SoftBank reviewing potential locations across France.
Jobs and positioning: France as a hub
SoftBank aims to create thousands of high-skilled jobs through the project. The roles will span engineering, data center development, robotics, operations, maintenance, and advanced manufacturing. The investment is intended to meet surging demand for high-performance computing and position France as a leading European AI infrastructure hub.
President Macron has made AI and digital infrastructure a centerpiece of his economic strategy, and the Choose France summit has become a key venue for such pledges. SoftBank's commitment is one of the largest single foreign investments in French tech infrastructure to date.
The full €75 billion investment is contingent on regulatory approvals and site-specific permits. SoftBank has not provided a timeline for deploying the remaining funds beyond the 2031 milestone.
