France Secures $108 Billion in Foreign Investment, with Major Proportion Destined for SoftBank Data Centres

France Lands Major Investment Boost with €93 Billion Pledge from Global Tech Giants

President Emmanuel Macron has announced a record-breaking €93 billion ($108 billion) investment pledge from global tech giants, with a significant portion set to fuel a major data centre project backed by SoftBank. The massive investment is seen as a significant step towards transforming France into a global leader in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector.

The investment pledge was unveiled at the annual Choose France summit, which brought together global corporate elite to showcase the country's business potential. According to Macron, the 71 projects announced at the summit are expected to create over 15,600 jobs, with the unemployment rate in France currently above 8% and higher than the EU average.

SoftBank to Invest €45 Billion in French Data Centres

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Japanese tech investor SoftBank is set to spend €45 billion to build three data centres with a combined capacity of 3.1 gigawatts in the Hauts-de-France region by 2031. The investment could potentially rise to €75 billion, according to SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son. The project aims to help Europe catch up with the US and China in AI computing capacity.

The SoftBank investment is part of the company's global AI infrastructure spending spree, which has already seen it invest over $30 billion in OpenAI. SoftBank has also agreed to invest a further $30 billion in the company over the course of 2026.

France's Nuclear Capacity to Power AI Ambitions

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Macron is seeking to capitalise on France's fleet of 57 nuclear reactors and growing electricity surplus to market the country as a hub for the AI sector. The nuclear capacity will provide the necessary power for the power-thirsty data centres required to meet the computing needs of the new technology.

"We are doing that in the US already, so we have the model, we have the momentum, and we can make France the centre of Europe for AI," Son said. "And Europe needs this kind of AI technology."

The investment pledge is the latest in a series of major deals announced at the Choose France summit, which has seen a total of €87 billion in investment pledges since 2018.