SoftBank Group is deploying up to €75 billion (approximately $87 billion) to expand data center capacity across France, targeting a massive 5 gigawatts of additional power capacity.
Scaling the Hauts-de-France Region
The initial phase of this infrastructure rollout focuses heavily on the Hauts-de-France region. By 2031, SoftBank intends to deliver 3.1 gigawatts of capacity through strategic builds in Dunkirk (Loon-Plage), Bosquel, and Bouchain. This move represents the firm's largest single investment in European AI infrastructure, serving both as an investor in and a customer of OpenAI.
Positioning France in the AI Value Chain
French economic minister Roland Lescure characterized the investment as a validation of President Emmanuel Macron’s strategy to establish France as a primary hub for the entire AI value chain. While data center construction faces increasing scrutiny in the United States due to environmental impacts and electrical grid stability, SoftBank appears to be doubling down on high-capacity energy solutions. This follows their previous announcement to build a data center in Ohio, which will be supported by a dedicated 9.2 gigawatt natural gas plant.
This massive capital injection signals a shift toward localized, high-density compute clusters designed to meet the surging energy demands of large-scale model training and inference.
Source: SoftBank says it will invest up to €75 billion to build French data centers
Domain: techcrunch.com
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