French President Emmanuel Macron has announced a €109 billion investment strategy to advance artificial intelligence (AI) development in France.
The initiative comes as Europe strives to strengthen its position in a rapidly evolving industry currently dominated by the United States and China.
The announcement was made ahead of the AI Action Summit in Paris, which features prominent executives, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and global leaders such as India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Macron’s declaration underscores France’s determination to be a key player in the global AI landscape.
The €109 billion investment plan includes major contributions from various international and domestic stakeholders:
- Middle Eastern Investments: The United Arab Emirates committed up to €50 billion for a new campus focused on AI and data centers in France. Initial funding will be sourced from Abu Dhabi’s MGX Fund.
- North American Contributions: Canadian asset manager Brookfield announced a €20 billion investment for AI infrastructure development in France over the next five years.
- Venture Capital and European Firms: General Catalyst, a venture capital firm, is leading a consortium planning a €150 billion AI deployment across European companies and start-ups over the next five years. Key supporters include KKR, Blackstone, and Volkswagen.
A major part of France’s AI strategy involves utilizing its extensive nuclear power infrastructure to support energy-intensive AI computing projects. FluidStack, a company spearheading this effort, plans to deploy AI chips powered by nuclear energy, starting with a 250-megawatt capacity by 2026.
The project aims to rival the US-based Stargate initiative, which is backed by OpenAI and SoftBank. FluidStack intends to expand its facility to a 10-gigawatt capacity by 2030 if fully realized.
In addition to infrastructure development, the Paris summit is expected to yield the creation of a non-profit fund called Current AI, which aims to foster “public interest AI” projects. The initiative has already secured €400 million in pledges toward a €2.5 billion fundraising target.
Macron and other European leaders are pushing for more open AI models that prioritize privacy and accessibility. They aim to reduce reliance on closed systems developed by major US companies such as Google and OpenAI.
Macron emphasized the need for Europe and France to accelerate their investments to remain competitive in AI development.
“Europe and France must act now,” Macron stated in a televised interview.
The President highlighted France’s advantage in nuclear energy as a competitive edge.
The summit and investment announcements signal France’s bid to become a leading player in AI innovation, fostering collaboration between private and public sectors while promoting European technological independence.
The Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Bloomberg contributed to this report.
