SoftBank Group Corp founder Masayoshi Son has held talks about unveiling an ambitious French AI data centre project with President Emmanuel Macron in the coming weeks, according to people familiar with the matter.The Japanese entrepreneur is considering a multibillion-dollar investment in the country as part of SoftBank’s broader buildout of artificial intelligence infrastructure, the people said, asking not to be identified as the discussions remain private. Son has floated the idea of putting as much as $100bn into the country, two of the people said, though he may not get close to that figure if he decides to prioritize other projects.Macron proposed the AI idea during a recent meeting with Son in Tokyo, and the unveiling could come as soon as this month. The Japanese investor, who was used to fielding similar inquiries from various company chiefs, was intrigued by an approach made directly by a head of state and started reviewing the matter in earnest, one of the people said.Macron and Son may announce their plans during the Choose France Summit — an annual gathering of high-profile industry leaders that Macron initiated in 2018 to attract foreign investment and promote France’s business appeal.Details of the project remain in flux, and the scope of the potential investment could change, the people said. Son is known for having a long list of investment ideas that he revises regularly, and he’s already announced hundreds of billions of dollars in AI infrastructure investments around the world that haven’t yet been realised.A representative for SoftBank declined to comment. The French president’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment.There are questions about whether Son can tap enough financing to realize all of his AI ambitions.The French plans follow SoftBank’s announcement in March to launch a large-scale data center project in Ohio, potentially channeling $500bn to install 10 gigawatts of capacity. It would be an AI computing complex powered with roughly $33bn worth of natural gas-fired electricity.These undertakings come on top of a $500bn Stargate initiative that SoftBank is working on in partnership with OpenAI, Oracle Corp and Abu Dhabi’s MGX to roll out data center facilities across the US.In addition to the data center projects, SoftBank has committed to investing more than $60bn in OpenAI for a stake of about 13%.SoftBank downsized plans for a $10bn margin loan backed by the OpenAI stake after facing hesitation from some creditors, Bloomberg reported. The Japanese conglomerate and bankers helping it seek the loan have mentioned targeting an amount as low as $6bn.Still, the efforts highlight Son’s growing ambitions to secure data center bases in major locations across the globe as AI companies race to acquire sufficient compute and meet rising demand for their services.Tech giants are sharply boosting their capital spending on AI infrastructure this year. Just four companies — Amazon.com Inc, Alphabet Inc, Microsoft Corp and Meta Platforms Inc — now plan to spend as much as $725bn this year, which would be almost double the level last year.Macron has been an outspoken proponent of countries beyond the US and China building their own AI infrastructure. He’s championed the idea of sovereign AI and investment in local players like Mistral AI so nations will have control over their data and technology.Macron has also touted France as an attractive destination because of its energy grid and nuclear power supplies. At last year’s Choose France Summit, Nvidia Corp and MGX announced plans with French AI firm Mistral to build a 1.4 gigawatt site. The UAE had said at the time that it would spend between €30bn ($35.3bn) and €50bn on a new campus in the country, according to French officials.
