00:00Japanese technology investment group SoftBank has announced plans to develop and operate 5 gigawatts of artificial intelligence data center capacity
00:08in France, with an investment worth 75 billion euros.
00:12The initiative represents the centerpiece of a broader wave of technology investments, with President Emmanuel Macron confirming that the country
00:19expects 93 billion euros in total foreign commitments at this year's Choose France Summit.
00:27SoftBank will deploy an initial 45 billion euros by 2031 for the first phase of the project, delivering more than
00:333 gigawatts of high-performance computing capacity across the Haute-de-France region.
00:39Sites are already planned in Boskel, Bouchon and L'Homme-Plage in Dunkirk, positioning France as a leading digital hub
00:46in Europe.
00:47To support this massive computing load and strengthen local supply chains, the Japanese group is partnering with French energy company
00:55EDF and Schneider Electric.
00:58The collaboration will establish a dedicated industrial hub at the port of Dunkirk, featuring specialized plants for assembling power modules
01:05and producing advanced data center enclosures.
01:08French officials stated that the strategic project will fast-track digital sovereignty while creating thousands of highly skilled jobs across
01:16engineering, robotics and advanced manufacturing.
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