SoftBank pledges €75B to build Europe's largest AI data center cluster in France
Masayoshi Son committed €75B to develop 5 GW of AI data center capacity in northern France — the largest AI infrastructure commitment in Europe to date — with an initial €45B phase delivering 3.1 GW at Dunkirk, Bosquel, and Bouchain by 2031, backed by EDF and Schneider Electric as industrial partners. The move establishes France as the primary European host for frontier compute, with the full €93B in foreign investment pledges at Macron's summit signaling that sovereign AI infrastructure has become a capital race.
Source: euronews.com ↗
AI is entering a new era, and the countries that build the infrastructure for this transformation will shape the future of technology, industry and society.
Masayoshi Son, SoftBank Group Chairman and CEO
Why this matters
- → Establishes France as Europe's primary frontier compute hub, reshaping continental AI competition.
- → €75B capital commitment signals sovereign AI infrastructure has become a geopolitical race.
- → 5 GW capacity reduces European dependence on US and Asian AI data centers.
Europe's AI infrastructure gamble