At President Emmanuel Macron’s pro-business event, Choose France, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) made a landmark commitment to France, announcing a €4 billion ($4.3 billion) investment this year to bolster the nation’s rapidly growing artificial intelligence sector.
Microsoft’s Vice Chair and President, Brad Smith, joined Macron at the company’s French headquarters to unveil this ambitious initiative.
“We will build out the computing capacity here in France,” said Smith. “We will put this infrastructure to work for everyone in France.”
The investment plan encompasses the expansion of next-generation Cloud and AI infrastructure, aiming to deliver up to 25,000 advanced GPUs (graphics processing units) to France by 2025.
Furthermore, Microsoft plans to launch an AI skilling initiative, intending to train 1 million French citizens by 2027, emphasizing the importance of equipping people with skills for the future.
The announcement coincided with the annual Choose France summit, initiated by Macron in 2018. This year’s event, held at the Palace of Versailles, witnessed the participation of 180 international CEOs and senior executives, showcasing foreign investments totaling €15 billion, surpassing the previous year’s €13 billion from 28 projects.
Addressing the summit attendees, Macron stressed the imperative of advancing AI technology in Europe, highlighting the need for trusted partnerships to navigate the competitive landscape.
Microsoft’s substantial investment underscores its dedication to fostering French growth in the AI sector, marking a significant milestone in efforts to solidify France’s position as a global technology and innovation hub.
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