The President of the Republic received Masayoshi Son, CEO of SoftBank, at the Élysée Palace on Monday, June 1, 2026.
On the occasion of the 9th Choose France Summit, and a few weeks after the meeting between the Head of State and the SoftBank CEO on April 1 in Tokyo, the Japanese company has announced a record investment of 45 billion euros, which could eventually reach 75 billion euros.
This investment aims to accelerate the development of artificial intelligence infrastructure in France, with a commitment to develop and operate at least 3 GW and up to 5 GW of AI-dedicated data center capacity nationwide.
SoftBank will also partner with Schneider Electric to develop a large-scale industrial production facility at the Port of Dunkirk, dedicated to manufacturing power modules for data centers.
Representing an unprecedented amount in the history of corporate investment in France, these announcements demonstrate the effectiveness of the proactive economic policy pursued by President Emmanuel Macron since 2017.
This strategy has helped consolidate France’s competitive advantages, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence, thanks to its largely carbon-free energy and the excellence of its talent pool. This momentum will be further amplified by the organization of the Summit for Action on Artificial Intelligence in Paris in February 2025.
Following a working meeting and the signing of an agreement between Masayoshi Son and Olivier Blum, CEO of Schneider Electric, the CEO of SoftBank and the President addressed the press.
