Well, butter my croissant and call me impressed! SoftBank Group is apparently so smitten with France that they’re dropping up to €75 billion on AI data centers. That’s right, folks-€75 billion. Enough to buy every baguette in Paris and still have change for a few Eiffel Tower keychains.
The plan? To build 5 gigawatts of AI data center capacity, because apparently France isn’t just for wine and existentialism anymore. It’s now the hot new spot for high-performance computing. Who knew? Maybe the AI will finally figure out why French people are so effortlessly cool.
Phase one includes a cool €45 billion to deliver 3.1 GW of capacity in the Hauts-de-France region by 2031. That’s a lot of zeros, and a lot of time to wait for your Alexa to speak with a French accent.
The lucky towns? Bosquel, Bouchain, and Dunkirk. Yes, Dunkirk-the place famous for its WWII evacuation is now gearing up for a tech invasion. History, meet the future. Future, meet history. Don’t fight, kids.
This announcement came at the Choose France summit, where President Macron probably high-fived SoftBank’s CEO, Masayoshi Son, and said, “Merci beaucoup!” because, you know, France.
Speaking of Son, he had this to say:
“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 is proud to make this major commitment to France. With its industrial capabilities, talent base, and national ambition, France is uniquely positioned to become a leading AI infrastructure hub in Europe.”
Translation: “France is cool, and we want in on the action.”
But wait, there’s more! SoftBank promises to create thousands of high-skilled jobs in engineering, robotics, and advanced manufacturing. So, if you’re a roboticist who speaks French and loves croissants, now’s your time to shine.
In the end, this move is all about meeting the surging demand for computing power. Or, as I like to call it, “making sure our future robot overlords have enough juice to take over the world.” Either way, France is about to get a whole lot smarter-or at least, its data centers are.
Read More
- Gold Rate Forecast
- These Cartoon Reboots Totally Missed the Point of the Originals (& Went Downhill Fast)
- Total Football free codes and how to redeem them (March 2026)
- Zenless Zone Zero version 2.8 ‘New: Eridan Sunset’ update will release on May 6, 2026
- Top 5 Best New Mobile Games to play in May 2026
- Netflix’s Best Stranger Things Replacement Officially Takes America By Storm
- Maggie Smith’s sons “deeply touched” by huge honour to the late “national treasure”
- 6 Animated Movie Trilogies Where Every Entry Is Near-Perfect
- eFootball 2026 Big Time & Show Time Standout Guardians 25-26 Season’s Best pack: Review, Best Progression Builds, and Skills
- Clash Royale May 2026 Update to bring Collection Levels, Mastery rework, and progression overhaul
2026-06-01 02:17