SoftBank to Invest as Much as €75 Billion to Add Up to 5 GW of Data Center Capacity in France

On May 30, 2026, SoftBank Group announced plans to invest up to €75 billion (about $87 billion) to expand data center infrastructure in France, aiming to add as much as 5 gigawatts of new capacity. The company said the program is intended to meet rising demand for AI workloads and broader cloud services, and that an initial phase will deliver roughly 3.1 GW of capacity to the Hauts‑de‑France region by 2031. The size and timing of the commitment mark a major infrastructure push that could reposition France as a significant host for large, power‑dense AI clusters.

SoftBank named three sites for the first phase — Dunkirk (Loon‑Plage), Bosquel and Bouchain — and described the French buildout as its largest AI infrastructure investment in Europe. As both an investor in and a customer of OpenAI, the company is positioning the new facilities to accommodate large‑scale AI clusters, high‑density racks and a range of colocation services. French economic minister Roland Lescure framed the announcement as "a testament to President Emmanuel Macron's ambition to position France as a leading destination all along the AI value chain," emphasizing the government’s industrial strategy to attract AI infrastructure and related supply chains.

The announcement arrives against a backdrop of intensifying debates over data center siting and environmental impact. Opponents in other markets, notably in parts of the U.S., have raised concerns about local environmental effects, grid strain and upward pressure on utility prices; SoftBank previously cited plans for a U.S. data center tied to a proposed 9.2 GW natural gas plant in Ohio. Executing up to 5 GW of new capacity — and the 3.1 GW tranche targeted for 2031 — will require detailed coordination with grid operators, lengthy permitting processes and environmental planning at regional and municipal levels, all of which will shape the project’s pace and footprint.

If carried through, the projects would create substantial new capacity for hyperscale AI deployments and colocations in France, but delivery will depend on securing approvals, grid upgrades and local buy‑in-factors that will determine how quickly the promised capacity can come online.