Paris (AFP) — President Emmanuel Macron announced “record” foreign investments of 93 billion euros ($108 billion) at an international conference Monday, including for AI and data cenetrs, staking his “credibility” on their implementation at the summit’s final edition under his leadership.
Held at the Versailles palace west of Paris, the investments announced at the ninth “Choose France” event represent the creation of 15,600 jobs, in what Macron called “obviously by far a record edition.”
“Everythng you signed here, everything which was announced during these days... will be executed and delivered on time,” Macron said in a speech in English to foreign business leaders after bilateral meetings and round tables.
“I put my credibility in front of you on the table,” he added, as uncertainty remains over the future of the event after he leaves office in 2027.
Money pledged for this year is set to surpass the combined 87 billion euros raised over the past eight years, according to Macron’s office.
“It’s the fruit of reforms, consistency and an ecosystem we’ve managed to build,” Macron said, touting the tax and labor law reforms undertaken since his first term in 2017, as well as a “super competitive” decarbonized nuclear energy sector in the midst of a global energy crisis.
The pledges include 45 billion euros from Japanese tech investor SoftBank.
Its founder, Masayoshi Son, said over the weekend that it would spend 75 billion euros on artificial intelligence infrastructure, including 45 billion euros by 2031 on data centers in northern France.
Macron said the other investments would be directed toward artificial intelligence, data centers, semiconductors, critical minerals, tractors and trucks, steel and healthcare.
