SoftBank revealed plans to invest ?.3B in Artificial Intelligence infrastructure in France, targeting the development of 5 gigawatts of data center capacity. The company said the funding marks its largest Artificial Intelligence infrastructure investment in Europe to date and is aimed at expanding access to high-performance compute capacity in France.
The Japan-based conglomerate said on May 31 that the investment will consist of an initial ?bn over the next five years, delivering 3.1 gigawatts of Artificial Intelligence data center capacity in the Hauts-de-France region by 2031. This outlay will include data centers in Loon-Plage, Bosquel and Bouchain. Full details on the investment are expected to be formally announced on Monday at the Choose France business conference.
SoftBank Group will work with SB Energy and other strategic partners to develop the projects. The company also said it will partner with French companies EDF for the Bouchain data center and Schneider Electric to help create a large-scale industrial production cluster at the Port of Dunkirk. The companies will combine SoftBank Group’s robotics and automation capabilities with Schneider Electric’s industrial expertise and local supply chain network to accelerate the rollout of next-generation Artificial Intelligence data centers at scale.
Beyond supporting Artificial Intelligence infrastructure, the project is intended to strengthen Dunkirk’s position as a center for robotics, advanced manufacturing and industrial innovation. The move fits into SoftBank’s broader global Artificial Intelligence investment push. In February this year, the company invested ?bn in OpenAI, bringing its total investment in the Artificial Intelligence vendor to more than ?bn. SoftBank is also a major partner in Stargate, the large-scale Artificial Intelligence infrastructure initiative with OpenAI and other partners aimed at building hyperscale Artificial Intelligence compute capacity in the U.S.
The latest funding also comes amid rising investment interest in Europe, as the region looks to compete with Chinese and U.S. dominance in Artificial Intelligence infrastructure. Masayoshi Son said France is well placed to become a leading Artificial Intelligence infrastructure hub in Europe because of its industrial capabilities, talent base and national ambition.
