Choose France summit draws record €93 bn in foreign investments

The Choose France summit was held at the Château de Versailles, with French Finance Minister Roland Lescure presenting a record €93 billion of announced foreign investments for the 2026 edition. The commitments span AI, data‑centre infrastructure, logistics, renewable energy and steel production.

Major announcements include SoftBank’s €75 billion plan – €45 billion by 2031 – to build data‑centre facilities in Hauts‑de‑France, billed as the largest AI‑related infrastructure investment in Europe. Brookfield will add €10 billion to French AI‑related assets, while the Emirati MGX fund and Bpifrance are set to invest about €7.5 billion in a second AI site. Salesforce pledged $2 billion for an AI hub in Paris, and Ardian/Verne announced a digital‑infrastructure campus that could reach €5 billion.

Tech firms Databricks and Foxconn disclosed investments of more than $300 million and €120 million respectively, focusing on AI talent and server production. Amazon confirmed a €15 billion three‑year programme, adding three new logistics sites that will create roughly 8 000 jobs by 2028. Belgian VGP committed over €1.5 billion for 5 000 new jobs, while Italian steel group Marcegaglia will invest €600 million in decarbonised steel at Fos‑sur‑Mer. Portuguese energy group EDP and German Enertrag pledged €1.3 billion and €1.1 billion respectively for renewable‑energy projects.

Overall, the summit underscored France’s attractiveness to multinational corporations, citing stable policy, skilled talent and high‑quality infrastructure as key drivers of the record‑breaking investment slate.