SoftBank Unveils €75 Billion Investment Strategy to Grow French Data Centers

SoftBank Group has revealed plans to invest up to €75 billion (around $87 billion) to expand data center capacity in France.

The goal is to establish and oversee an additional 5 gigawatts of data center capacity. The first phase will focus on building facilities in Dunkirk (Loon-Plage), Bosquel, and Bouchain, targeting a delivery of 3.1 gigawatts for the Hauts-de-France region by 2031.

As a major investor and collaborator of OpenAI, SoftBank emphasized that this will represent its largest investment in AI infrastructure throughout Europe.

French Economic Minister Roland Lescure described this announcement as a “testament to President Emmanuel Macron’s vision of positioning France as a key player in the AI value chain.”

In the U.S., growing opposition to new data center projects stems from environmental concerns and their potential effects on the electric grid and utility costs. Nevertheless, SoftBank has already announced plans to establish a data center in Ohio, backed by a new 9.2-gigawatt natural gas facility.