France is emerging as a major hub for AI investments, with a total of $85 billion committed to developing infrastructure and data centers. Canadian investment firm Brookfield has announced plans to invest $20 billion by 2030, with most of the funds allocated to building AI-focused data centers.
A significant portion, around $15 billion, will go toward constructing a large data center in Cambrai, which will have a capacity of up to one gigawatt. The remaining funds will be directed toward new infrastructure projects, including expanding electricity production. This announcement coincides with the upcoming Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris, where global tech leaders and policymakers are set to discuss AI advancements.
The Brookfield investment follows another major commitment from France and the UAE, which recently announced a $52 billion AI campus project primarily focused on a high-capacity data center. These investments come in response to OpenAI, SoftBank, and MGX’s $500 billion Stargate Project in the U.S., which has intensified global competition in AI infrastructure.
France is an attractive destination for AI investments due to its electricity production, with 65% generated from nuclear power and 25% from renewable sources. Given the increasing demand for energy-efficient data centers, many tech firms see France as a strategic location.
In addition to Brookfield’s pledge, Bpifrance, the country’s public investment bank, plans to invest $10.3 billion in AI startups and venture capital firms. Telecom company Iliad is also committing $3.1 billion to AI initiatives, primarily for new data centers with high computing power.
Its subsidiary, Scaleway, has already provided AI training resources for European startups like Mistral and H. With these large-scale investments, France is positioning itself as a key player in the AI industry, and further announcements are expected at the AI Action Summit.
