SoftBank Group has announced plans to invest approximately 75 billion euros, equivalent to more than 80 billion US dollars, in building artificial intelligence data centers across France. The massive commitment represents one of the largest single foreign direct investment pledges in European history and positions France as the leading destination for AI infrastructure on the continent.
The investment will be phased, with the first tranche of approximately 40 billion euros committed for completion by 2031. The remaining funds are expected to flow in subsequent years, though specific timelines for the second phase have not yet been finalized. Bloomberg reports that SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son will appear alongside French President Emmanuel Macron to formally announce the commitment at a major technology event in France.
The deal was secured in large part due to President Macron's personal diplomatic efforts, with Bloomberg reporting that the French president directly courted Masayoshi Son over an extended period. Son himself reportedly noted that while SoftBank regularly engages with companies, it was unusual and compelling to receive a direct approach from a head of state, which helped push the investment over the line.
France's nuclear energy infrastructure was cited as a decisive advantage in attracting the investment. The country offers arguably the most stable, cheapest, and most connectable power supply on the European continent, a critical factor for data centers that consume enormous quantities of electricity. Bloomberg analysts noted that if any company is going to build data centers in Europe, France represents the most logical choice due to its energy mix.
The announcement coincides with SoftBank's market capitalization surpassing Toyota to become Japan's most valuable company, driven primarily by its investments in OpenAI and other artificial intelligence ventures. The French data center commitment represents SoftBank's largest overseas infrastructure pledge and underscores the group's strategic pivot toward becoming a global AI infrastructure provider rather than solely a technology investment fund.
On the same day, enterprise software giant Salesforce also announced a separate 2 billion dollar investment in AI infrastructure in France, further cementing the country's position as Europe's emerging AI hub. The combined commitments of more than 82 billion dollars in a single day represent an unprecedented wave of technology investment in France and validate Macron's strategy of positioning the country at the center of the sovereign AI movement in Europe.
However, questions remain about the execution timeline and financing of such an ambitious project. Bloomberg reports that SoftBank has been slow to build data centers it has previously committed to in the United States, and the costs of data center construction continue to escalate globally. The company is expected to partially finance the French investment through proceeds from an upcoming IPO of its renewable energy subsidiary SB Energy, which would provide a direct link between clean power generation and AI infrastructure demand.