France and UAE Agree to Establish 1GW-Class AI Data Center

Investment Scale Reaches 30 to 50 Billion Euros

France and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will jointly establish a massive 1GW (gigawatt) scale artificial intelligence (AI) data center in France.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and Emmanuel Macron, President of France, are meeting on the evening of the 6th (local time) at the ?lys?e Palace in Paris. Photo by Yonhap News

The ?lys?e Palace, the French presidential office, announced on the 6th (local time) that President Emmanuel Macron and UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan announced a joint basic agreement on this matter in Paris.

The agreement centers on establishing a 1GW scale AI-dedicated "campus" in France. The investment is expected to reach a total of 30 to 50 billion euros (approximately 45 to 75 trillion won).

According to the daily Le Figaro, the MGX investment fund linked to the UAE will lead the development, and the exact location of the campus has not yet been decided.

The initial investment scale will be announced at the annual investment attraction event "Choose France" held in May. The ?lys?e Palace explained, "The two leaders have agreed to build a strategic partnership in the AI field," adding, "This includes investment in AI, securing cutting-edge semiconductor chips, building data centers, nurturing talent, as well as establishing a virtual data embassy to activate sovereign AI and cloud infrastructure of both countries."

This announcement was made ahead of the international AI summit to be held in Paris on the 10th and 11th. France plans to use this summit as an opportunity to promote AI technology development and investment in Europe, which has fallen behind the United States and China.