SoftBank Plans 75 Billion Euros of AI Investments in France, as Europe Struggles to Catch Up with U.S. and China SoftBank plans to invest 45 billion euros over five years to build AI infrastructure in France, as part of a larger 75-billion-euro program to establish 5 GW of AI data center capacity. This initiative marks SoftBank’s largest AI infrastructure investment in Europe and aims to support AI growth by expanding access to high-performance compute capacity, addressing Europe’s challenges with soaring energy prices impacting its AI competitiveness. The company will partner with Schneider Electric for industrial production clusters in Dunkirk, with initial builds targeting 3.1 GW by 2031.

• SoftBank commits 45 billion euros over five years for AI infrastructure in France.
• The investment is part of a 75-billion-euro program to build 5 GW of AI data center capacity in France.
• The initial phase focuses on building 3.1 GW of AI data centers in the Hauts-de-France region by 2031.
• This represents SoftBank’s largest AI infrastructure investment in Europe.
• The goal is to expand access to high-performance compute capacity to support AI growth.
• SoftBank will partner with Schneider Electric for industrial production clusters in Dunkirk.
• Europe faces challenges in AI competitiveness due to high energy prices compared to the U.S. and China.