SoftBank Group has announced plans to invest up to €75 billion (approximately $87 billion) to expand data center capacity in France, marking its largest AI infrastructure investment in Europe. The goal is to develop and operate up to 5 gigawatts of data center capacity, supporting the growing demand for AI computing power across the continent.

The first phase of the project will focus on building data centers in Dunkirk (Loon-Plage), Bosquel, and Bouchain, delivering 3.1 gigawatts of capacity to the Hauts-de-France region by 2031. This region is emerging as a strategic hub for digital infrastructure due to its proximity to major undersea cables and available land for large-scale developments.

The announcement was welcomed by French economic minister Roland Lescure, who called it a validation of President Emmanuel Macron’s strategy to position France as a leader across the AI value chain. The investment comes at a time when data center expansion in the U.S. faces increasing opposition over energy consumption and grid strain, contrasting with Europe’s more coordinated industrial approach.

SoftBank, both an investor in and customer of OpenAI, is positioning itself at the center of global AI infrastructure development. While it also plans a data center in Ohio powered by a new natural gas plant, the French commitment represents a significantly larger and more integrated bet on public-private infrastructure alignment.