Microsoft announced on Monday a commitment of 4 billion euros ($4.3 billion) toward expanding its cloud and AI infrastructure in France, along with funding for AI skilling and support for the country’s technology industry. The company plans to bring up to 25,000 advanced GPUs to France by the end of 2025 and aims to train 1 million people and support 2,500 AI startups by 2027. This announcement was made during the “Choose France” summit, aimed at encouraging foreign investment in the country.
Brad Smith, President of Microsoft, stated, “This major investment demonstrates a steadfast commitment to supporting digital innovation and economic growth in France.” Additionally, Microsoft will open a new data center in the French city of Mulhouse as part of its investment.
Amazon also pledged 1.2 billion euros to invest in France, aiming to create over 3,000 new jobs in addition to the 2,000 jobs announced earlier for 2024. Frederic Duval, Amazon’s country manager, emphasized that the expansion of their logistics network would support local economic development and job creation while improving customer experience and reducing carbon emissions.
The combined commitments from Microsoft and Amazon to France total $5.6 billion. Overall, France secured a record 15 billion euros in investment commitments from foreign companies at the annual “Choose France” summit. French President Emmanuel Macron has been actively promoting France as an artificial intelligence hub, with Paris already being a major center for AI research and development.
Despite concerns raised by French officials regarding Microsoft’s investment in Mistral, Microsoft remains committed to investing billions of euros in France. This investment comes at a time when competition concerns surround Microsoft’s recent investment in Mistral, a startup in the AI sector. Microsoft has clarified that its partnership with Mistral is a minority equity investment and a commercial relationship, not a merger, and it remains independent.
