From Fortune, May 30:
SoftBank plans up to €75 billion investment in French AI centers
SoftBank Group Corp. plans to invest as much as €75 billion ($87 billion) to build 5 gigawatts of artificial intelligence data center capacity in France, saying the country is poised to become a top European hub for AI infrastructure.
The first phase comprises an initial €45 billion investment to deliver 3.1 gigawatts of AI data center capacity in the Hauts-de-France region by 2031, SoftBank said Saturday in a statement.
The commitment, which SoftBank called its biggest AI infrastructure investments in Europe, reflect personal diplomacy between Emmanuel Macron and SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son, who met during the French president’s visit to Japan this year.
Bloomberg has reported that Son floated the idea of SoftBank investing as much as $100 billion in France. The Japanese investor, who was used to fielding similar inquiries from company leaders, was intrigued by an approach made directly by a head of state and started reviewing the matter in earnest.
Read More: SoftBank in Talks for Major Data Center Project in France
“I was very impressed by the fact that Emmanuel Macron is so personally committed to ensuring France’s economic success, even though our investments have so far been concentrated mainly in the US, as well as in Japan and Asia,” French outlet La Tribune cited Son as saying in an interview.
SoftBank’s initial investment plans to deliver data centers in Dunkirk, Bosquel and Bouchain. SoftBank also plans to develop additional sites across France, “reinforcing the country’s role as a leading European hub for next-generation digital infrastructure,” according to the company statement....
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