⚡SoftBank Bets €75B On French AI Data Centers, 5 GW By 2031
TL;DR
SoftBank pledged up to €75 billion (~$87B) to build 5 gigawatts of AI data center capacity in France — its largest European infrastructure bet ever. Phase one is €45B for 3.1 GW in Hauts-de-France by 2031, with EDF and Schneider Electric as partners.
SoftBank pledged up to €75 billion (~$87B) to build 5 gigawatts of AI data center capacity in France — its largest European infrastructure bet ever. Phase one is €45B for 3.1 GW in Hauts-de-France by 2031, with EDF and Schneider Electric as partners.
Key Points
Total commitment: up to €75B for 5 GW of new capacity across Dunkirk, Bosquel and Bouchain
Phase one: €45B for 3.1 GW in Hauts-de-France by 2031
EDF partners on the Bouchain site; Schneider Electric handles the robotized plant build-out
SoftBank is both investor in and customer of OpenAI — French capacity will likely serve OpenAI workloads
Deal stems from direct talks between President Macron and SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son
Why It Matters
Europe has spent two years complaining about US and Chinese AI capacity — this single check finally puts it on a comparable build curve, and concentrates that capacity in nuclear-grid France.
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