SoftBank Group announced it will invest up to €75 billion (approximately $87 billion) to expand its data center operations in France. The company aims to develop and operate up to 5 gigawatts of additional data center capacity. The first phase of the project includes constructing data centers in Dunkirk (Loon-Plage), Bosquel, and Bouchain, which are expected to deliver 3.1 gigawatts of capacity to the Hauts-de-France region by 2031. According to the firm, this investment will be its largest AI infrastructure project in Europe. French economic minister Roland Lescure praised the move, calling it 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, has also faced growing opposition in the United States over data center construction due to environmental concerns and impacts on the electrical grid. Despite this, the company has already announced plans to build a data center in Ohio, powered by a new 9.2 gigawatt natural gas plant. *Source: [techcrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/30/softbank-says-it-will-invest-up-to-e75-billion-to-build-french-data-centers/)*