Key Takeaways
- France’s annual “Choose France” summit at Versailles is expected to unveil tens of billions of euros in foreign‑direct investment, with a strong focus on artificial intelligence (AI) and data‑centre infrastructure.
- SoftBank pledged €75 billion for AI infrastructure, while Canadian asset manager Brookfield announced a $10 billion data‑centre project in northern France.
- Ardian and Nordic data platform Verne will jointly invest $5 billion in a Paris‑area data centre, and Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn plans a €120 million AI‑motherboard line in Angers.
- The Élysée reports that since 2018 the initiative has generated over €87 billion in announced projects and several thousand jobs, making France Europe’s top destination for foreign investment for seven consecutive years.
- Despite the headline figures, economists warn that overall corporate investment in France remains depressed and that re‑industrialisation is still more aspiration than reality.
- President Emmanuel Macron continues to push France as a global AI leader, backing the effort with €1.55 billion of public funding for quantum technologies and semiconductors.
Overview of the Choose France Summit
France holds a foreign investment summit on Monday with tens of billions of dollars of capital already offered, notably for artificial intelligence and data centres. Some 200 top executives from around the world are expected at Versailles palace west of Paris for President Emmanuel Macron’s annual “Choose France” event. The gathering, held amid a backdrop of factory closures across Europe, seeks to showcase France as a receptive hub for high‑tech capital. As one organiser noted, “The 2025 conference set a record of €20 billion ($23.3 billion) in announced projects,” underscoring the summit’s growing pull for multinational firms.
Major Investment Announcements
According to business daily Les Echos, Canadian asset manager Brookfield is to announce $10 billion of investment in a data centre in the Escaudain area of northern France. Investment firm Ardian and Nordic data platform Verne will put $5 billion into a data centre in the Paris region, it added. These figures illustrate the scale of capital flowing into France’s digital infrastructure, a sector that Macron’s administration has identified as a cornerstone of future economic growth.
SoftBank’s AI Commitment
Japanese tech investment giant SoftBank said at the weekend it will spend €75 billion on artificial intelligence infrastructure. Watch “Choose France” summit to kick off as factory closures multiply. Its founder, Masayoshi Son, is to meet Macron at the Élysée Palace on Monday. The sheer magnitude of SoftBank’s pledge dwarfs many national AI budgets and signals a strategic bet on France’s talent pool, research institutions, and supportive regulatory environment for AI development.
Foxconn’s AI‑Focused Manufacturing
Taiwanese group Foxconn is expected to invest €120 million in the western city of Angers for a production line for motherboards dedicated to AI in partnership with French supercomputer specialist Bull, sources told AFP. This move ties high‑value manufacturing directly to the AI ecosystem, aiming to create a domestic supply chain for the hardware that powers machine‑learning workloads.
Potential Rare Earths Announcements
The conference could also see announcements on rare earths. While specifics were not disclosed in the advance briefings, industry analysts note that securing a stable supply of these critical minerals is vital for both AI hardware and green‑technology sectors, and France has been probing partnerships with African and Australian miners to diversify sources away from China‑dominated markets.
Historical Context of Choose France
Since the first “Choose France” in 2018, a year after Macron came to power, more than 230 projects have been announced, representing some €87 billion and several thousand jobs, according to the Élysée. France has attracted the most foreign investment in Europe for seven straight years, according to the consultancy EY. EY said France attracted 852 projects last year out of 5,026 recorded in 47 European countries – a 17 percent drop in a difficult international environment. The data show that, despite a challenging global climate, France continues to outperform its peers in pulling in FDI, particularly in high‑tech segments.
Criticisms and Economic Realities
Economist Sylvain Bersinger said the announcements in Versailles “must not obscure the fact that overall corporate investment in France is depressed, that reindustrialisation remains more of a pious wish than a reality, and that France does not necessarily appear more attractive for foreign investors than its neighbours.” His caution reminds readers that headline‑grabbing deals can mask broader structural issues, such as labor‑market rigidity, bureaucratic hurdles, and uneven regional development that have historically hampered sustained industrial renewal.
Macron’s AI Vision and Public Funding
Macron wants to make France a world leader in AI and has announced €1.55 billion of public investment to develop quantum technologies and semiconductors. This state‑backed funding aims to complement private‑sector commitments by de‑risking early‑stage research, supporting academia‑industry partnerships, and building sovereign capabilities in strategically important technologies. By aligning public resources with the private pledges showcased at Choose France, the government hopes to create a self‑reinforcing cycle of innovation, job creation, and export growth.
Looking Ahead
As the summit unfolds, the true test will be whether the announced investments translate into tangible projects on the ground, sustained employment, and a measurable uplift in France’s overall investment climate. While the figures presented at Versailles are undeniably impressive, the country’s long‑term competitiveness will hinge on addressing the structural challenges highlighted by critics and ensuring that the surge in AI and data‑centre capital catalyses broader industrial modernization rather than remaining isolated enclaves of high‑tech activity. The coming months will reveal whether France can convert this wave of foreign enthusiasm into a durable economic renaissance.
https://www.france24.com/en/france/20260601-macron-eyes-billions-in-ai-investment-at-choose-france-summit