France secured €53 billion ($61.7 billion) in artificial intelligence-related investment commitments from Japan’s Softbank Group Corp. (OTC:SFTBY) and Amsterdam-based AI cloud services firm Nebius Group N.V. (NASDAQ:NBIS), marking one of the largest artificial intelligence infrastructure investment pushes in Europe as the country seeks to become a leading hub for AI development.
French President Emmanuel Macron Monday said in a post on X, the investments would create thousands of jobs and help establish the country as Europe’s leading destination for AI infrastructure and development.
One Of Europe’s Largest AI Investment Waves
SoftBank said it plans to invest an initial €45 billion to develop 3.1 gigawatts of AI-focused data center capacity in France’s Hauts-de-France region by 2031, including in Dunkirk, Bosquel and Bouchain.
The investment marks the first phase of a broader initiative that could see SoftBank deploy up to €75 billion to build and operate 5 gigawatts of AI data center capacity across France.
"AI is entering a new era, and the countries that build the infrastructure for this transformation will shape the future of technology, industry and society," Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son said in a statement over the weekend.
The investments underscore growing competition among countries to attract the computing capacity needed to support increasingly powerful AI models and services.
Nebius plans to invest more than €8 billion in cloud infrastructure and services in the country, targeting 240 megawatts of capacity and creating what Macron described as one of Europe’s most powerful AI computing sites.
The deals formed part of a broader slate of investment announcements made during the 2026 Choose France summit.
Europe’s AI Ambitions Face A Test
The AI investment push comes at a time when there is growing concerns that Europe risks falling behind the U.S. and China in AI data center development, with industry leaders warning that the region must significantly increase investment in computing infrastructure to remain competitive.
Europe’s AI ambitions have been complicated by high energy costs, with industry leaders warning that expensive electricity could undermine the region’s competitiveness against the U.S. and China.
France’s nuclear-powered electricity grid has emerged as a potential advantage as countries compete to attract AI infrastructure investments.
The Global AI Infrastructure Race
The announcements follows a wave of major AI infrastructure spending globally, with technology giants including Microsoft, Amazon, Google‘s parent company Alphabet and Meta expected to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on data centers and AI-related capital expenditures in the coming years.
Countries are increasingly competing to attract AI infrastructure investments, viewing data centers and cloud computing capacity as strategic assets that can drive economic growth, technological innovation and job creation.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo Courtesy: Victor Velter on Shutterstock.com
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