Japan tech investment giant Softbank has revealed intentions to create and operate 5 GW of AI data centre capacity in France, in a €75 billion investment. The initiative is part of a wider wave of technology-related investment coming to France. President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday the country expected €93 billion in foreign investment commitments at this year’s ‘Choose France’ summit, including projects in artificial intelligence, data centres, semiconductors, vital minerals, transport, steel and healthcare.
That would include an initial €45 billion from SoftBank by 2031 for the first phase of its project in northern France. It will mean 3.1 GW of capacity in the Hauts-de-France region, with sites planned at Dunkirk (Loon-Plage), Bosquel and Bouchain.
AI is entering a new era and the countries which build the infrastructure for this transition will be the ones to shape the future of technology, industry and society,” stated SoftBank Group Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son.
He noted that France is “uniquely positioned to become a leading AI infrastructure hub in Europe,” given to its industrial capabilities, talent base and national ambition. The facilities are intended to respond to the increased need for artificial intelligence by increasing access to high-performance computing capacity in France.
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