(Bloomberg) -- SoftBank Group Corp. plans to invest as much as €75 billion ($87 billion) to build artificial intelligence data centers in France, La Tribune and the Financial Times reported.
The Japanese group is set to invest the first €45 billion to construct two data centers in Le Bosquel and Dunkirk, which will become operational in 2028 and 2031, La Tribune cited SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son as saying in an interview. The investment is part of a broader buildout of AI infrastructure by SoftBank.
Son said French President Emmanuel Macron proposed the idea during a recent meeting with him in Tokyo.
“I was very impressed by the fact that Emmanuel Macron is so personally committed to ensuring France’s economic success, even though our investments have so far been concentrated mainly in the US, as well as in Japan and Asia,” Son told La Tribune.
Bloomberg has reported that Son floated the idea of SoftBank investing as much as $100 billion in France. The Japanese investor, who was used to fielding similar inquiries from various company chiefs, was intrigued by an approach made directly by a head of state and started reviewing the matter in earnest.
The plan signals that SoftBank is choosing France as a hub in Europe for AI manufacturing and computing power, with the prospect of reaching more than 5 gigawatts of capacity, according to La Tribune. Schneider Electric SE is set to be a partner.
Macron and Son are expected to formally announce the investment during the Choose France Summit, an annual gathering of industry leaders to attract investment and promote France’s business appeal.
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