SoftBank invests Rp 922 trillion in AI data centre in France
Japanese technology investment giant SoftBank Group will deploy €45 billion (approximately Rp 922.5 trillion) over the next five years to bolster artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure in France. The investment will focus on the Hauts-de-France region in northern France, with a target data centre capacity of 3.1 gigawatts (GW). SoftBank described the project as the largest AI infrastructure investment the company has ever made in Europe.
The plan is set to be officially announced on Monday, 1 June 2026, at the annual Choose France business conference, with the three facilities expected to be operational by 2031 at the latest.
French engineering and energy management firm Schneider Electric will be a key partner in the project, supplying modules and supporting equipment for the data centres, though the partnership value remains undisclosed. Additionally, French state-owned nuclear energy company EDF is involved, having agreed to hand over one of its former power plants to SoftBank for conversion into an AI data centre.
Masayoshi Son told La Tribune du Dimanche: “The fact that this country is both a producer and exporter of energy is a critical factor for AI infrastructure investment.”
SoftBank is not stopping at the initial three locations and plans further facilities across France in subsequent phases. With this expansion, the total planned investment could rise to €75 billion (approximately Rp 1.537.5 trillion).
This move strengthens France’s position as a leading destination for technology and AI investment in Europe, as the government seeks to attract more foreign capital through the Choose France forum. The annual investment event, launched by President Emmanuel Macron in 2018, aims to promote France as a global investment destination.
In recent years, SoftBank has aggressively expanded its exposure to the AI sector, investing over $30 billion in OpenAI and holding approximately 11% of the ChatGPT developer’s shares. Through the French project, SoftBank aims to enhance AI computing capacity in Europe while supporting the growing demand for data centres powered by large-scale energy supply.