SoftBank plans to invest up to 75 billion euros in French AI center

issued Sunday, May 31, 2026 · 4:55 p.m.

SoftBank Group plans to invest as much as 75 billion euros (S$111.6 billion) to build 5 gigawatts (GW) of artificial intelligence data center capacity in France, saying the country is poised to become Europe’s top hub for AI infrastructure.

The first phase will consist of an initial investment of 45 billion euros to deliver 3.1 million kW of AI data center capacity in the Hauts-de-France region by 2031, SoftBank said in a statement on Saturday (May 30).

The effort, which SoftBank calls Europe’s largest AI infrastructure investment, reflects personal diplomacy between French President Emmanuel Macron and SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son, who met during the French president’s visit to Japan earlier this year.

Bloomberg reported that Son floated the idea for SoftBank to invest as much as $100 billion in France. The Japanese investor, accustomed to fielding similar inquiries from corporate leaders, was intrigued by the direct approach from the head of state and began seriously considering the issue.

“We are very impressed by the fact that Emmanuel Macron is personally committed to ensuring France’s economic success, even though our investments have so far been mainly concentrated in the United States, Japan and Asia,” the French news agency said. La Tribune Mr. Son said in an interview:

SoftBank’s initial investment plans to establish data centers in Dunkirk, Bosker, and Bouchain. SoftBank will also develop additional locations across France, “strengthening France’s role as Europe’s leading hub for next-generation digital infrastructure,” the company said in a statement.

Schneider Electric said it will partner with Dunkirk with the goal of building an AI infrastructure and robot manufacturing hub in a location suitable to serve customers in London, Brussels and Amsterdam.

Macron and Son are expected to formally announce the investment at the Choose France Summit, an annual gathering of industry leaders to attract investment and promote France’s business attractiveness.

France’s plan follows SoftBank’s announcement in March that it would launch a major data center project in Ohio that could cost US$500 billion to install 10 gigawatts of capacity. This will be an AI computing complex powered by natural gas-fired power generation worth approximately US$33 billion.

These efforts build on SoftBank’s US$500 billion Stargate initiative in partnership with OpenAI, Oracle, and Abu Dhabi’s MGX to deploy data centers across the United States. SoftBank also pledged to invest more than US$60 billion in OpenAI for an approximately 13 percent stake.

The effort underscores Son’s growing ambitions to secure data center bases in key locations around the world as AI companies race to acquire enough computing power to meet growing demand for their services. For SoftBank, the new business could help expand its AI-related revenue sources beyond ChatGPT.

There are questions about whether Son will be able to raise enough money to realize all of his AI ambitions. SoftBank has scaled back a $10 billion margin loan plan backed by Open AI stock after facing hesitation from some creditors, Bloomberg reported. The Japanese conglomerate and the bankers backing its loans said they were targeting an amount of at least $6 billion.

Mr Macron has been an outspoken supporter of countries other than the US and China building their own AI infrastructure, championing the idea of ​​sovereign AI and investing in local players such as Mistral AI to give nations control over their own data and technology. bloomberg