SoftBank says it will invest up to €75B to build French data centers

SoftBank Group has announced a major initiative to invest up to €75 billion to expand data center infrastructure in France. The project aims to add 5 gigawatts of capacity, with the first phase focusing on the Hauts-de-France region, specifically Dunkirk, Bosquel, and Bouchain, by 2031. This investment marks SoftBank’s largest AI infrastructure project in Europe. French economic minister Roland Lescure welcomed the move, framing it as a significant step in President Emmanuel Macron’s strategy to establish France as a central hub for the AI value chain. While data center expansion faces environmental and utility grid scrutiny in the United States, SoftBank continues to aggressively pursue global infrastructure growth.

(Source：TechCrunch)