Japanese conglomerate SoftBank Group has announced plans to invest up to €75 billion (approximately $87 billion) to build and operate a network of data centers in France. This is considered the group's largest artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure investment in the European market to date, aiming to capitalize on the rapidly booming wave of tech services.
Developments
According to a report by TechCrunch, SoftBank aims to develop and operate up to an additional 5 gigawatts of data center capacity. In the project's first phase, the conglomerate plans to build facilities in Dunkirk, Bosquel, and Bouchain to deliver 3.1 gigawatts of capacity to the Hauts-de-France region by 2031. French Economy Minister Roland Lescure noted that this move is a testament to President Emmanuel Macron's ambition to position France as a leading destination in the global AI value chain.
Background
SoftBank's expansion decision comes at a time when data center projects in the US are facing growing public backlash. US residents and environmental activists are increasingly concerned about the negative impacts of these facilities on the national power grid, utility prices, and carbon emissions. Nevertheless, SoftBank had previously announced plans to build a massive data center in Ohio, US, powered by a new $33 billion gas-fired power plant with a capacity of 9.2 gigawatts.
Why it matters
This investment solidifies SoftBank's growing position as an infrastructure backbone for future technologies, especially given its dual role as both an investor in and a major customer of OpenAI. For the tech community in Vietnam, this move demonstrates that the global AI infrastructure race has expanded well beyond the US, while highlighting the significant energy challenges countries must resolve when developing supercomputing ecosystems.