SoftBank and Schneider Electric partner to develop 5GW AI data center capacity in France with €75bn investment

Type: Partnership · Technology: Data Center · Country: France · Capacity: 5 GW · Value: $87.5B · Announced: 2026-05-30

SoftBank announced a €75 billion ($87.5 billion) investment to develop up to 5GW of AI data center capacity in France, marking its first major European data center initiative. The project will be executed in phases, with an initial €45 billion ($52.5 billion) investment targeting 3.1GW of capacity by 2031 across three locations: Dunkirk (Loon-Plage), Bosquel, and Bouchain in the Hauts-de-France region. Schneider Electric will collaborate with SoftBank to establish a large-scale industrial production cluster at the Port of Dunkirk, featuring two facilities—one for manufacturing data center enclosures and another for integrating power modules. State-owned nuclear energy company EDF is providing the site of a former power plant in Bouchain for SoftBank's data center development. The partnership aims to position France as a leading AI infrastructure hub in Europe, leveraging the country's reliable electrical grid and skilled workforce.

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