SoftBank Group founder Masayoshi Son has held talks about unveiling an ambitious French AI data center 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 $100 billion 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.
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