France unveils $119B AI initiative with UAE partnership
France announces investments in artificial intelligence valued at $119 billion, including the construction of a data center in collaboration with the UAE. The announcement coincided with the AI Action Summit in Paris, where global leaders are discussing the future of AI and global technological challenges.
During the international AI Action Summit, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that his country will invest $119 billion in the development of artificial intelligence.
"For France, this is equivalent to what the United States announced in the Stargate project," said Macron on France 2 television.
He explained that this sum includes investments from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), "large American and Canadian investment funds," as well as French enterprises such as telecommunications operators Iliad, Orange, and the electronics company Thales.
France as the AI hub in Europe
One of the key projects is the construction of a vast data processing center in France, co-financed by the UAE. Its value is estimated at $33-55 billion, and the complex is to become one of the largest artificial intelligence centers in Europe.
On February 10-11, the AI Action Summit is taking place in Paris, where political leaders and representatives of tech giants from 80 countries are gathering. Among the guests are U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
"Arms race" in the AI industry
On January 23, 2025, the Bank of China presented the "Action Plan for Supporting the Development of the Artificial Intelligence Industry Chain", which means that over the next five years, the Chinese bank will allocate at least $130 billion to financially support AI industry entities.
Meanwhile, after his inauguration, President Donald Trump and the heads of Japan's Softbank, Oracle, and OpenAI announced the Stargate project at the White House. The giants will invest up to $500 billion in building data centers and architecture needed for the development of artificial intelligence.
As Trump said during a speech at the White House, the company heads decided to establish a joint venture that will invest at least $100 billion and in the long term up to $500 billion over four years in building data centers in America and contribute to creating 100,000 jobs.
