France Aims to Become European AI Hub with Massive Data Center Investments

Following the establishment of the “electric battery valley,” which is progressing despite delays, will the Hauts-de-France region become the “European Artificial Intelligence (AI) Valley”? This is the ambition declared by the government during the 2025 edition of Choose France on May 19th, aiming to transform this industrial region undergoing reconversion into “the largest AI infrastructure cluster in Europe, with a total target electrical capacity of over 2 gigawatts (GW).” The Hauts-de-France region has a significant role to play, hosting 16 of the 65 sites identified by the State as potentially suitable for “turnkey” data centers in France.

While Microsoft abandoned its three projects in the region in January, the Canadian fund Brookfield Asset Management, planning to invest 20 billion euros in AI development in France, has confirmed its arrival in the north of the country. Through Data4, its data center platform, its largest investment (10 billion euros) in France will be at the E-Valley site, developed on the former Cambrai military airbase, where vast warehouses house Europe’s largest logistics center.

---

Enjoyed this post by Thibault Helle? Subscribe for more insights and updates straight from the source.