SoftBank has pledged up to €75 billion to build a network of data centres in France designed to serve artificial intelligence workloads. Financial Times reporting frames the plan as potentially one of the largest data‑centre investments in Europe and part of the continent’s effort to catch up with the United States and China on AI infrastructure.
Scope of the project
Under the proposal, SoftBank would deploy an initial phase costing €45 billion to deliver 3.1 gigawatts (GW) of capacity in the Hauts‑de‑France region by 2031. A later expansion of 2 GW would bring the total to 5 GW. If the full 5 GW complex is completed, SoftBank’s total investment could reach €75 billion (about $87 billion).
The planned main facility in Dunkerque would be developed in partnership with Schneider Electric and would focus on AI infrastructure and robotics manufacturing. The site was chosen in part for its ability to serve nearby markets such as London, Brussels and Amsterdam.
What 5 GW means in practice
SoftBank notes that a 5 GW AI complex is roughly equivalent to the output of five nuclear power plants and comparable to New York City’s peak electricity demand. Industry estimates cited in the reporting put the total cost of each gigawatt of AI infrastructure at around $50 billion, covering land, construction, power supply and IT equipment.
Political and strategic context
The commitment represents Masayoshi Son’s largest AI investment outside the United States and a political win for French President Emmanuel Macron. The agreement followed a dinner between Macron and Son in early April in Tokyo, during which Macron highlighted France’s advantages, including abundant nuclear power and accelerated permitting processes for AI facilities.
Despite the size of the announcement, Europe remains well behind the United States, China and parts of the Middle East in building the large data centres that technology leaders say will be required to meet surging AI compute demand. Investment flows typically favour regions with lower power costs, faster connectivity and lighter regulation.
Financing and SoftBank’s broader AI strategy
The French project fits into SoftBank’s expanding AI infrastructure portfolio. In March the group announced a separate 10 GW data‑centre project in Ohio. SoftBank has committed more than $60 billion to finance OpenAI, plans stock market listings for its robotics and energy businesses, and is expanding semiconductor capacity around its most valuable holding, the UK‑based chip designer Arm.
Masayoshi Son’s data‑centre ambitions have in part replaced an earlier Stargate concept: a $500 billion joint venture originally intended to supply vast compute capacity solely to OpenAI. Given industry cost estimates, the French plan will require substantial additional financing from as‑yet unnamed partners. Typical financing structures would see SoftBank contribute a relatively small equity stake while the bulk of capital would come from project finance loans.
Related international initiatives
Alongside the French and US projects, SoftBank is part of a consortium working on a 5 GW AI infrastructure project in Abu Dhabi that includes G42, OpenAI, Oracle, Nvidia and Cisco.
The announcement underlines how major technology and capital players are positioning for rapid growth in AI compute demand, while also highlighting the challenge Europe faces in closing the infrastructure gap.
