SoftBank has committed €45 billion-roughly $52 billion-to build AI data centers in northern France over the next five years, marking the largest AI infrastructure project in European history.
The investment will fund 3.1 gigawatts of data center capacity across multiple sites in the Hauts-de-France region, including Le Bosquel and Dunkirk. The first facilities are expected to come online by 2028, with full completion targeted for 2031.
The announcement, made on May 30, 2026, was timed to coincide with French President Emmanuel Macron's Choose France summit. SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son has been in discussions with Macron since mid-May, reportedly exploring a potential total of $100 billion in French investments.
SoftBank's total commitment could eventually reach €75 billion (approximately $87 billion), delivering 5 GW of capacity across additional sites including Bouchain.
The company's aggressive move comes as its annual net profit quadrupled to over $32 billion by mid-May 2026, driven largely by AI-related investments. SoftBank has also poured capital into firms like OpenAI, betting that demand for AI compute will continue to grow exponentially.
France offers several advantages for this massive buildout, including competitive electricity costs from its nuclear fleet, available land, and grid access in the Hauts-de-France region.
Investors should watch the energy implications closely. Building 5 GW of data center capacity requires enormous amounts of electricity. France's nuclear-heavy grid gives it an edge over countries reliant on natural gas or renewables.
One key risk: execution. Building 3.1 GW of capacity in five years is extraordinarily ambitious. Permitting delays, construction bottlenecks, and grid connection timelines have derailed similar projects before. The 2028 target for first operations will be the first real test of this timeline.