SoftBank investment fuels European AI infrastructure boom

SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son said the AI revolution is up to 50 times larger than the dot‑com boom and announced a €75 billion plan to build AI data‑center capacity in France, including a 3.1 GW project in Hauts‑de‑France slated for 2031. The investment, the largest AI infrastructure spend by the group in Europe, is expected to involve 5 GW of AI data‑center power and a partnership with Schneider Electric. SoftBank’s shares rose 14 % on the news.

At the same time, former dot‑com era technology companies are benefiting from the global AI infrastructure build‑out. Bloomberg reports that firms such as Dell, Nokia, Cisco, Intel, Texas Instruments, Lenovo and Micron have collectively seen a 158 % average stock increase in 2026, adding about $1.7 trillion in market value. Dell’s shares jumped 33 % after reporting strong AI server orders and forecasting AI‑related revenue of up to $60 billion. The resurgence highlights how AI demand is reviving legacy hardware and networking businesses that had slowed after the 2000s burst.