France · SoftBank · OpenAI · U.S. · TechCrunch AI
SoftBank confirms it will invest up to €75 billion to build French data centers
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SoftBank Group announced today that it plans to spend up to €75 billion (around $87 billion) to expand data center capacity in France.
Key facts
- SoftBank Group announced today that it plans to spend up to €75 billion (around $87 billion) to expand data center capacity in France
- The goal, the firm said, is to develop and operate up to 5 gigawatts of additional data center capacity
- French economic minister Roland Lescure described the announcement as a “testament to President Emmanuel Macron’s ambition to position France as a leading destination all along the AI value chain
- SoftBank, which is both an investor in and customer of OpenAI, says this will be its largest AI infrastructure investment in Europe
Summary
The goal, the firm said, is to develop and operate up to 5 gigawatts of additional data center capacity. SoftBank, which is both an investor in and customer of OpenAI, says this will be its largest AI infrastructure investment in Europe. French economic minister Roland Lescure described the announcement as a “testament to President Emmanuel Macron’s ambition to position France as a leading destination all along the AI value chain.” In the United States, opposition to data center construction is heating up over environmental concerns, as well as questions about how data centers affect the electrical grid and utility prices.