SoftBank Group today announced plans to spend up to 75 billion euros (approximately $87 billion) to expand data center capacity in France.
The company said its goal is to develop and operate up to 5 gigawatts of additional data center capacity. The first phase of the plan will see the construction of data centers in Dunkirk (Rune Plage), Bosker and Bouchamps, delivering 3.1 GW of capacity to the Hauts-de-France region by 2031.
SoftBank, an OpenAI investor and customer, says this will be its largest AI infrastructure investment in Europe.
In a statement, French Economy Minister Laurent Lescure called the announcement “a testament to President Emmanuel Macron’s ambition to position France as a leading destination across the AI value chain.”
Opposition to building data centers has intensified in the United States, citing environmental concerns as well as questions about how data centers will affect the power grid and utility bills. Nevertheless, SoftBank previously announced plans to build a data center in Ohio, powered by a new 9.2 gigawatt natural gas plant.
