SoftBank Group Corp. (9984.T,SFTBY) announced that its joint venture with a French AI and high-performance computing infrastructure company, Sesterce Group, has been selected to develop and operate a 1 GW artificial intelligence data center campus in Bosquel, France.
The project forms part of SoftBank's broader 5 GW commitment announced during the 2026 Choose France summit.
The campus will provide large-scale computing capacity for AI workloads and serve major European markets, including Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, London and Frankfurt.
The campus will be developed through a joint venture majority-owned by SoftBank.
The facility will incorporate technologies designed to reduce environmental impact and water consumption.
The construction of the campus is expected to generate economic activity for regional businesses, contractors and service providers.
Once operational, the facility is expected to create about 400 long-term skilled jobs across data center operations, energy systems, security, maintenance and infrastructure management.
The joint venture also plans to establish a 10 million euros endowment fund, jointly managed with the Hauts-de-France region, to promote AI adoption among local businesses, schools, universities and community organizations.
The project is located in the Hauts-de-France region and is designed to support AI infrastructure across France and Europe.
SoftBank Group is currently trading 13.54% higher at JPY 8,505 on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
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