SoftBank: €75 Billion for European AI
TL;DR: SoftBank announces a record €75 billion investment to build Europe's largest AI hub in France. 5 GW of data center capacity by 2032, with a first phase of €45 billion for 3.1 GW by 2031 in the Hauts-de-France region. Partner: Schneider Electric for critical infrastructure. It's SoftBank's largest European investment outside the US.
A single geopolitical and economic decision: SoftBank is shifting the center of gravity of global AI infrastructure toward Europe.
The Announcement: Choose France Summit
On May 30, 2026, during the Choose France Summit hosted by President Emmanuel Macron, SoftBank Group announced the commitment: a €75 billion investment to build AI data centers in France.
This isn't an announcement of a "potential" investment. It's a binding commitment, with a timeline, specific locations, and partners already identified.
First phase:
- Investment: €45 billion
- Capacity: 3.1 GW
- Deadline: 2031
- Region: Hauts-de-France
- Sites: Dunkirk (Loon-Plage), Bosquel, Bouchain
Total once the project is complete:
- Investment: €75 billion
- Capacity: 5 GW
- Timeline: 2032
To put that in perspective: 5 GW is the capacity of a large nuclear power plant. SoftBank is building the equivalent of an entire nuclear plant, dedicated to AI data centers.
Why France?
The choice of France isn't accidental. Three converging factors:
1. Stable Nuclear Energy
France generates 70% of its electricity from nuclear power. At a moment when AI demands ever more energy, having access to a decarbonized source is essential. SoftBank explicitly cited France's energy reliability as a reason for the choice.
2. Direct Government Support
The Choose France Summit isn't a conference: it's a declaration of national priority. Macron intervened personally, and the government facilitated permits, infrastructure, and regulation.
3. Schneider Electric as a Partner
SoftBank isn't building critical infrastructure alone. It has formed a partnership with Schneider Electric for:
- Advanced cooling systems (to dissipate the heat from the 5 GW)
- Efficient power distribution
- Monitoring and automation
Schneider Electric has decades of experience in critical data centers. The partnership reduces time-to-deployment and technical risk.
The Context: The Battle for AI Infrastructure in Europe
This investment comes at a moment when Europe has finally recognized that AI is no longer optional — it's the economic engine of the next 20 years.
Competitors:
- US: Nvidia, Amazon, Microsoft, Google racing ahead with giant data centers
- China: Massive domestic investments
- Europe: Lagging behind until as recently as 18 months ago
SoftBank was already considering Europe as an alternative hub for geographic distribution of data centers. This investment says: it's not plan B, it's plan A for the European market.
The Economic Timeline
€75 billion over 6-7 years averages to €10+ billion a year. For context:
- Nvidia's total annual capex: ~€10 billion
- Meta's AI capex last year: €30+ billion
- Microsoft's AI capex last year: €50+ billion
SoftBank is building its own data center because access to public capacity (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) wasn't enough for its own models and strategic clients.
Conclusion
With €75 billion, SoftBank is making a geopolitical statement: European AI infrastructure isn't a hobby, it's a strategic necessity. Dunkirk, Bosquel, and Bouchain will become three of the largest AI data centers in the world by 2031. They'll hire thousands of local engineers, attract startups and companies, and define the European AI market for the next decade.
Sources: TechCrunch — SoftBank €75B French Data Centers, Bloomberg — SoftBank France Investment, Fortune — SoftBank 75 Billion France, CNBC — SoftBank French AI Data Centers