President Emmanuel Macron announced on Monday that France is set to secure a record €93 billion ($108 billion) in foreign investment commitments at this year’s annual “Choose France” summit, driven largely by projects in artificial intelligence, data centres and advanced manufacturing.
Speaking at the international investment conference, Macron said the amount pledged for the 2026 edition alone exceeds the combined €87 billion raised through the initiative over the past eight years.
“This edition of Choose France alone will make it possible to crystallise a record amount of €93 billion in confirmed investments, for more than 15,000 jobs. It is obviously by far a record edition, and it is historic,” Macron said.
A major contributor to the investment drive is Japanese technology investor SoftBank, which has committed €45 billion. The company’s founder, Masayoshi Son, said the funds would be deployed by 2031 to develop data centres in northern France.
Macron noted that the investments would span artificial intelligence, semiconductor production, critical minerals, heavy machinery manufacturing, steel and healthcare projects.
According to the French president, the projects are expected to position France as Europe’s leading hub for data centres and computing capacity, while also strengthening its role in AI-driven industrial production and robotics.
“These investments will make France by far the leading country hosting data centres and computing capacity in Europe,” Macron said, adding that the country would become a strategic base for AI-powered industrialisation.
He also said the investments would help Europe narrow the technology gap with the United States and China in computing infrastructure and artificial intelligence capabilities.
Son attributed SoftBank’s decision to invest heavily in France to the country’s abundant nuclear-generated electricity, which provides a stable and competitive energy source for data-intensive industries.
“We can now convert electricity as a raw material into more high-value intelligence,” Son said, noting that the resulting technological capacity could also be exported.
He added that France has the potential to become Europe’s leading technology hub, citing the country’s growing momentum in attracting large-scale investment and innovation projects.
