SoftBank Commits Up to €75 Billion for 5 GW AI Data Center Buildout in France
SoftBank Group said it plans to develop and operate 5 gigawatts of AI data center capacity in France, marking one of the largest new artificial-intelligence infrastructure commitments in Europe as countries compete to secure the power and compute resources needed for the next phase of AI growth.
The Japanese investment giant announced Saturday that the full program could represent an investment of up to €75 billion. The first phase includes an initial €45 billion investment to deliver 3.1 gigawatts of AI data center capacity in the Hauts-de-France region by 2031, with planned sites in Dunkirk, Bosquel and Bouchain.
The announcement was made as part of the 2026 Choose France summit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, whose government has sought to position France as a European hub for AI, data centers and advanced manufacturing. The scale of the commitment underscores how access to electricity, industrial land and grid infrastructure has become central to national AI strategies.
SoftBank said the new facilities will support demand for high-performance computing from AI companies, cloud providers, enterprises, public institutions and research organizations. The company said it will work with SB Energy and other strategic partners to develop the projects.
The plan also includes a partnership with Schneider Electric to create a large-scale industrial production cluster at the Port of Dunkirk. SoftBank said the cluster will include one facility operated by SoftBank to manufacture enclosures and another operated by Schneider Electric to integrate data center power modules, combining SoftBank’s robotics and automation capabilities with Schneider’s energy technology and local supply chain.
The industrial component is notable because it ties the data center buildout to localized production of critical infrastructure rather than treating the project solely as a power-and-compute deployment. As AI data centers have grown larger, developers have increasingly relied on prefabricated electrical systems, modular power equipment and standardized enclosures to accelerate construction and reduce supply-chain bottlenecks.
EDF, France’s state-backed utility, is also involved in the Bouchain site, where a former industrial location is expected to be repurposed for digital infrastructure. EDF Chief Executive Bernard Fontana said the project demonstrates France’s ability to host large-scale digital infrastructure supported by competitive, sovereign and low-carbon electricity.
France’s electricity system is one reason the country has become attractive to AI infrastructure developers. Its large nuclear fleet gives it a lower-carbon power mix than many European peers, while the government has promoted energy sovereignty and faster permitting as advantages for industrial investment.
SoftBank Chairman and Chief Executive Masayoshi Son said countries that build AI infrastructure will shape the future of technology, industry and society. French Economy Minister Roland Lescure described the investment as evidence of Macron’s push to make France a leading destination across the AI value chain, citing the country’s grid reliability, industrial base and skilled workforce.
The project adds to a broader global race to secure gigawatt-scale AI infrastructure. In the US, large technology companies and infrastructure investors have been signing power agreements, reserving grid capacity and pursuing new data center campuses to support AI workloads. Similar pressures are emerging in Europe, where developers face tighter land, grid and permitting constraints.
For France, the SoftBank commitment could become a test case for whether large AI infrastructure projects can be paired with domestic manufacturing, low-carbon power and regional job creation. SoftBank said the program is expected to create thousands of high-skilled jobs across data center development, engineering, energy systems, robotics, operations, maintenance and advanced manufacturing.
