Brookfield, via its European data centre platform Data4, intends to invest up to €15bn in France as part of a €20bn programme to support the country’s artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure over the next five years.
At the opening of the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris, the asset manager, alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, announced the €20bn investment programme aimed at supporting data centres and AI infrastructure such as data transfer, chip storage and energy generation, by 2030.
Paris-headquartered Data4 plans to build over 500MW of data centre capacity in France and aims to triple that by 2030 as part of the latest announcement.
Macron said: “The €20bn investment by Brookfield notably through Data4 will allow France to remain in the race alongside major AI players. This investment demonstrates France’s attractiveness.
“We have the knowledge, the talents, and the decarbonised energy needed to accelerate in AI. We must not slow down, the world is accelerating. This is a battle for independence.”
Sikander Rashid, head of Europe at Brookfield, said: “We believe France has the potential to play a pivotal role in the global advancement of AI. To achieve European leadership, it is essential to invest proactively in the infrastructure that powers AI services, particularly in data and associated infrastructure.
“Our €20bn investment programme represents a significant step toward this ambition, laying the foundation for France to compete on the global stage. We are excited to collaborate with stakeholders across France and are looking to expand our investment in data centres to an even greater scale in the future.”
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