The ‘Choose France’ summit is an investor event in Versailles initiated by President Emmanuel Macron. Its aim is to attract international companies and investors to France and to promote foreign direct investment. In recent years, the event has developed into a key showcase for French economic and industrial policy.
In May 2026, the 9th Choose France Summit once again set new benchmarks. A new record was achieved with investment commitments totalling 93 billion euros. The announced projects are expected to create more than 15,000 jobs and strengthen France’s position as a leading investment destination in Europe.
According to the latest EY Barometer, France is the most attractive destination for international investment in Europe for the seventh year running. With 852 investment projects, the country is well ahead of Germany, which has 548 projects. The main areas of investment are artificial intelligence, data centres, semiconductors, microelectronics, space, green industry and decarbonised energy.
Particularly noteworthy is the investment by the Japanese technology group SoftBank. Following talks between SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son and President Macron, the company announced investments totalling 75 billion euros in France’s AI infrastructure. As much as 45 billion euros is set to be invested in the Hauts-de-France region alone by 2031.
In collaboration with Schneider Electric, modular data centre units are being built there in Dunkirk, Bosquel and Bouchain, amongst other locations. According to SoftBank, France’s reliable energy supply was the key factor in choosing these locations.
The investments form part of a broader French AI strategy. A national AI initiative worth 109 billion euros was already unveiled at the AI Action Summit 2025. A key project is the ‘European AI Campus’ in the Greater Paris area.
The project is backed by an international consortium comprising Mistral AI, Nvidia and the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund MGX, and is expected to mobilise investments of up to 50 billion euros in the long term. This is supplemented by a further 20 billion euros from the Canadian investor Brookfield.
France’s success is based on several locational advantages. Around 95 per cent of its electricity comes from decarbonised sources, primarily nuclear power and renewables. For energy-intensive sectors such as data centres or battery factories, this represents a decisive competitive advantage.
Added to this are so-called ‘ready-to-go’ sites, where land and grid connections are already in place. This means that planning permission processes can be completed much more quickly than in many other European countries.
Investments are spread across various regions. Hauts-de-France is emerging as a hub for digital infrastructure, whilst projects for the production of green hydrogen and decarbonised steel are taking shape in Fos-sur-Mer. Grenoble is strengthening its role as a European centre for semiconductors and microelectronics thanks to investments from STMicroelectronics and GlobalFoundries.
The 2026 Choose France Summit demonstrates how France is making a targeted commitment to future-oriented industries in order to enhance its technological and industrial competitiveness. At the same time, this strategy is intended as a contribution to greater European sovereignty in the fields of digitalisation, energy and industry. France is thus positioning itself not only as an investment destination, but also as a key driver of Europe’s industrial transformation.
