SoftBank in Talks for $100 Billion AI Data Center Project in France

SoftBank Group founder Masayoshi Son is in talks with French President Emmanuel Macron about a large artificial intelligence data center project in France, according to Bloomberg. The initiative could involve up to 100 billion dollars in investment and may be announced at the Choose France Summit, an annual event aimed at attracting foreign investment.

The discussions began during a meeting in Tokyo, where Macron proposed the idea as part of France's plan to expand its domestic AI infrastructure. The project would support France's goal of developing independent AI capabilities while leveraging the country's nuclear energy resources for data center operations.

The potential French project would add to Son's expanding AI infrastructure portfolio. SoftBank is already part of Stargate, a 500 billion dollar AI data center program with OpenAI, Oracle, and Abu Dhabi's MGX, which targets about 7 gigawatts of capacity. The company is also developing a 10 gigawatt AI facility in Ohio supported by a gas plant in Pike County.

SoftBank's financing capacity has drawn attention as it scales these ventures. The company recently reduced plans for a margin loan from 10 billion to around 6 billion dollars amid lender concerns.