Foreign investors pledge more than €90 billion in France
Japanese tech giant eyes France as location of data centres due to its strong energy production
The record funding will create more than 15,000 jobs in France. Photo shows French President Emmanuel Macron giving a speech at the Choose France 2026 summit in VersaillesAbaca Press / Alamy Stock Photo
Zane LilleyZaneLilleyEditorial Team - The Connexion
Foreign investors pledged a record €93 billion in France at the 2026 Choose France business summit, the French government has announced.
The 9th edition of the summit was held in Versailles on Monday (June 1).
Choose France statistics show the 2026 levels pledged are more than double the amount pledged last year, and more than six times that of 2024.
Indeed, the figure for 2026 is greater than all investment pledged during the previous eight summits combined.
The investment, from 71 different groups, will create more than 15,000 jobs in France, claims the government.
France was also ranked the most attractive European country for international investment for the seventh consecutive year, according to auditing firm EY.
Up to €75 billion for data centres in northern France
The most significant pledge was €45 billion from Japanese digital giant SoftBank, for the construction of AI infrastructure.
This initial investment period will run until 2031, but based on success expansion is possible, and total investment from the deal may reach up to €75 billion.
French President Emmanuel Macron reportedly helped to secure the deal during a recent visit to Japan.
Funds will go towards the construction of data centres in the Hauts-de-France region, said SoftBank president Masayoshi Son to media outlet La Tribune Dimanche.
“The fact that the country is an energy producer and exporter is absolutely crucial for infrastructure investments in artificial intelligence, especially for data centres,” he added;
France’s energy supply is almost fully carbon-free (only around 5% of energy supply comes from fossil fuels) coming principally from nuclear energy.
France is aiming to position itself as a major player in the emerging AI sector, with the government saying that there are more than 1,000 AI-based start-ups across the country.
