[SoftBank Bets $85 Billion on France, Electricity Becomes Core Element in AI Competition] According to a report by Jinse Finance, on June 2, SoftBank announced plans to invest up to €75 billion (approximately $85 billion) in France to develop up to 5GW of data center capacity, with the first three sites aiming to reach 3.1GW by 2031. The key driving force behind this investment is France's abundant decarbonized electricity resources. Industry analysts have pointed out that electricity availability has become the primary variable in selecting locations for large-scale AI infrastructure. French energy company EDF has also designated SoftBank as the preferred developer for a 400MW data center campus at the site of its former Bouchain thermal power plant.