SoftBank Group is making a major push into artificial intelligence infrastructure in Europe, with plans to invest €45 billion over the next five years to build AI data centers in France.
Japan’s SoftBank Group announced on Saturday that it will invest €45 billion in France to build up artificial intelligence infrastructure.
France project targets 3.1 GW of capacity
The first phase of SoftBank’s plan will focus on the northern Hauts-de-France region.
Reuters reported that the investment is described as the biggest of its kind so far in Europe and is expected to deliver 3.1 gigawatts of capacity. The plans are due to be formally announced at the annual Choose France business conference, which France has used to attract foreign investment since it was launched by President Emmanuel Macron in 2018.
The scale is important because AI data centers require huge amounts of power to run advanced chips, cooling systems, networking infrastructure, and storage. For countries trying to attract AI investment, access to reliable and affordable energy is becoming as important as land, talent, and tax policy.
Three sites expected by 2031
SoftBank’s first wave of French AI data centers will include three sites.
CNBC reported that three sites, including one in Dunkirk, are expected to come into operation by 2031. Additional sites across France are planned later, potentially increasing SoftBank’s total planned investment to €75 billion.
That longer-term figure shows that SoftBank is not treating France as a small pilot project. The company appears to be positioning the country as a major European base for AI computing capacity.
Schneider Electric and EDF join the project
The investment also involves major French industrial and energy partners.
French engineering company Schneider Electric will be one of the project’s key partners and will equip the sites with its modules, although financial details were not disclosed.
State-owned nuclear energy company EDF is also part of the deal. EDF will hand one of its former power plants to SoftBank, which will transform the site into a data center.
The involvement of EDF matters because AI data centers need large, stable energy supplies. Countries with strong power infrastructure may have an advantage as AI companies look for places where they can build large-scale compute capacity without overwhelming local grids.
Masayoshi Son points to France’s energy strength
SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son directly connected the investment to France’s energy position.
Son shared that the French newspaper La Tribune du Dimanche that the fact France is a producer and exporter of energy is “absolutely decisive” for investments in AI infrastructure.
That statement highlights one of the central issues in the global AI race. Building AI models is no longer only about software engineering or chip supply. It is also about energy, industrial sites, cooling, power grids, and national infrastructure planning.
Part of SoftBank’s wider AI spending spree
The French data center investment adds to SoftBank’s broader AI strategy.
SoftBank has invested more than $30 billion in OpenAI so far, giving it about an 11% stake. The France project now expands SoftBank’s AI exposure from model companies into the physical infrastructure needed to run AI systems.
This matters because the AI boom is creating demand for everything beneath the software layer: chips, servers, data centers, electricity, cooling systems, and networking equipment. By investing in French AI infrastructure, SoftBank is betting that future AI growth will require not only smarter models, but far more computing capacity.
Europe wants a larger AI infrastructure role
For France, the investment supports its goal of becoming a stronger European AI hub.
Europe has often been seen as behind the United States and China in frontier AI model development, but data centers offer another way to compete. If France can provide land, power, industrial capacity, and political support, it can attract companies that need European AI infrastructure.
SoftBank’s investment also shows how AI data centers are becoming strategic assets. They are not just buildings filled with servers. They are part of the national infrastructure needed to support AI startups, cloud services, enterprise automation, scientific computing, and future digital services.
The project now gives France a major role in SoftBank’s AI infrastructure expansion. For Europe, it is another sign that the AI race is increasingly being fought through power capacity, data center sites, and long-term capital commitments.
