Brookfield Commits €20bn to French Data Centre Expansion
French data centre development is set to accelerate following a €20bn (US$20.9bn) investment commitment from Brookfield Asset Management, the Canadian alternative asset manager.
Intended to be spread over the next five years, the investment forms part of a broader €200bn (US$209.66bn) private sector commitment to bolster AI infrastructure in France. This investment was announced by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Paris AI Summit.
The French government cites the nation's clean energy infrastructure as a key reason businesses should invest in its AI, so that they can address environmental concerns around AI development.
President Macron says: “The €20bn investment by Brookfield, notably through Data4, will allow France to remain in the race alongside major AI players.
“This investment demonstrates France's attractiveness. We have the knowledge, the talents and the decarbonised energy needed to accelerate in AI.”
Data4: Advancing digitisation in France
Brookfield will deploy €15bn (US$15.7bn) through its Paris-headquartered data centre developer Data4, which operates facilities across six European markets including Italy, Spain, Poland, Germany and Greece.
The investment programme is expected to be delivered by 2030.
Data4, which develops hyperscale data centre campuses built for AI workloads, plans to triple its French development pipeline beyond its existing 500MW programme. The company's campuses incorporate cooling systems designed for the increased thermal output generated by machine learning model training.
Alexandre Delaval, Country Managing Director France at Data4 Group, explains: “In France, data centres are now a crucial pillar of the country's digitisation. Since 2018, this industry has grown seven times faster than the national economy.
“The data centre industry is not a mere player in the shadows anymore, but a real engine for economic growth and job creation.”
Brookfield targets French semiconductor development
The remaining €5bn (US$5.24bn) will fund AI infrastructure, including semiconductor manufacturing facilities and energy generation assets.
The investment builds on Brookfield's existing partnership with Intel Corporation, which includes a US$30bn semiconductor manufacturing facility in Arizona.
Renewable energy capacity in France is its leading strategy to encourage AI developers to invest in the country. For one thing, AI training puts huge pressures on data centres, as they generate additional heat which requires a greater need for cooling.
Likewise, the power demands of AI technologies inevitably creates issues for data centre operators who are seeking to make good on their sustainability targets.
With this in mind, Brookfield's renewable energy division develops power generation assets to support technology companies.
The firm signed a framework agreement with Microsoft Corporation in 2024 to develop 10.5 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity, supporting Microsoft's target to match all electricity consumption with zero-carbon energy by 2030.
Advancing European data centre development
Brookfield's French portfolio includes digital infrastructure, renewable power generation and logistics assets. The firm entered the French market in 2015 and expanded its technology infrastructure investments through partnerships with semiconductor manufacturers and cloud computing providers.
The French government's support for AI development includes initiatives to increase technology education programmes.
President Macron notes: “We must not slow down, the world is accelerating. This is a battle for independence.”
Sikander Rashid, Head of Europe at Brookfield, adds: “We believe France has the potential to play a pivotal role in the global advancement of AI. To achieve European leadership, it is essential to invest proactively in the infrastructure that powers AI services, particularly in data and associated infrastructure.
“Our €20bn investment programme represents a significant step toward this ambition, laying the foundation for France to compete on the global stage. We are excited to collaborate with stakeholders across France and are looking to expand our investment in data centres to an even greater scale in the future.”
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