Ecosystem Radar

Choose France 2026 draws €93B in pledges, led by SoftBank’s data centre plan

France said companies pledged €93 billion at the 2026 Choose France summit, setting a new high for the event. The largest single commitment came from SoftBank, which plans to invest €45 billion in three data centres in Hauts-de-France by 2031 as France pushes to position itself as a European base for AI infrastructure.

Franceforeign investmentEuropeJapanArtificial intelligenceAI infrastructureDigital infrastructure

France's President Emmanuel Macron and SoftBank group Chairman and CEO Japanese Masayoshi Son ©LUDOVIC MARIN via REUTERS

FTS Insights official • The strongest signal here is infrastructure. France is not only pitching startups or research capacity, but also power availability and industrial scale as assets for AI. For the wider European ecosystem, this shifts attention toward where compute-heavy projects can actually be built and financed, and which countries can turn energy capacity into a tech advantage.

Key Takeaways
  • Choose France 2026 set a new record by announced investment value.
  • SoftBank is the anchor corporate signal in this year’s package.
  • France is using electricity capacity as a strategic argument for AI investment.
  • European AI competition is increasingly tied to data centre and compute buildout.
Why this matters
  • The scale of the pledges raises the bar for AI-related industrial investment in Europe.
  • SoftBank’s plan turns France’s AI push into a hard infrastructure story, not only a software or research one.
  • Hauts-de-France is positioned as a strategic location for large compute projects.
  • Choose France is functioning as a platform for cross-border capital deployment into European tech infrastructure.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

June 01, 2026

France secures EUR93 billion in investment pledges at Choose France summit

by Michel Rose and Anton Bridge

Read coverage on Reuters

“We are clearly bridging the gap ​we had in computing capacity ​in Europe."

– France's President Emmanuel Macron

Article Summary

According to President Emmanuel Macron, the 71 projects unveiled at this year’s Choose France summit are expected to create more than 15,600 jobs. The total marks a record for the event and exceeds the EUR87 billion in pledges announced across previous editions since 2018.

SoftBank is the clearest corporate anchor in the package. The Japanese group said it will spend EUR45 billion to build three data centres with a combined capacity of 3.1 gigawatts in Hauts-de-France by 2031. Masayoshi Son said the investment could potentially rise to EUR75 billion.

The announcement also shows how France is framing its AI strategy. Macron is using the country’s nuclear fleet and electricity capacity as part of the investment pitch, presenting France as a location for large-scale compute infrastructure at a time when Europe is trying to close the gap with the United States and China.

Key Highlights

  • France said Choose France 2026 secured EUR93 billion in pledged investment across 71 projects.
  • The announced projects are expected to create more than 15,600 jobs.
  • SoftBank plans to invest EUR45 billion in three data centres in Hauts-de-France by 2031.
  • SoftBank said the total investment could potentially rise to EUR75 billion.
  • Since 2018, Choose France has seen 231 announced projects worth EUR87 billion in pledges.

Takeaway

Beyond the headline number, the main signal is France’s attempt to convert energy capacity into AI infrastructure. If these projects move from pledges to execution, they will matter well beyond the French market.

Read the full coverage on Reuters(en)

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SoftBank

The SoftBank Group is a global technology player that aspires to drive the Information Revolution. The SoftBank Group is comprised of the holding company SoftBank Group Corp. (TOKYO: 9984) and its global portfolio of companies, which includes advanced telecommunications, Internet services, AI, smart robotics, IoT and clean energy technology providers.

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