A gigawatt-scale data center cluster is set to be developed outside Paris, France.
French national investment bank Bpifrance, UAE investment fund MGX, French AI firm Mistral AI, and Nvidia this week announced the formation of a joint venture to establish what they claim will be Europe’s largest AI campus in France.
The campus is set to ultimately reach a capacity of 1.4GW. Construction is expected to begin in the second half of 2026, with operations launching by 2028.
Further details weren’t shared.
The companies said they aim to develop Europe’s first purpose-built intelligence hub; supporting the full AI lifecycle from model training and inference to deployment of generative and applied AI systems. The open platform will reportedly include exascale-class computing, sovereign cloud integration, and low-carbon hyperscale data centers optimized for AI.
News of a gigawatt-scale data center project in France surfaced in February, though details weren’t shared at the time.
Nicolas Dufourcq, CEO of Bpifrance, said: “Bpifrance is proud to co-found this transformative European AI campus with MGX. This initiative highlights France’s scientific excellence, capacity to deliver cutting-edge infrastructure, and its attractiveness to top talent. The campus strengthens our technological sovereignty and reinforces France’s position as a global AI leader.”
MGX is an investor in OpenAI’s Stargate project as well as UAE operator Khazna, and is partnering with Eni and G42 for a project in Italy. The company is also part of BlackRock’s $30 billion AI infrastructure fund.
Bpifrance has previously invested in quantum computing startup Alice & Bob. Also known as the Banque publique d’investissement, it is a joint venture of the state owned Caisse des dépôts et consignations and EPIC Bpifrance Group (formerly EPIC OSEO).
Ahmed Yahia, managing director and CEO of MGX, added: “France has the ambition and capability to lead in this new AI era. At MGX, we see AI as the most transformative force of our time, and believe open, enduring infrastructure is key to unlocking its broad societal impact. The France AI Campus will accelerate breakthroughs across science, education, public services, and business, fueling Europe’s next wave of innovation.”
Founded in 2023, Mistral AI is a French AI specializing in open-weight large language models (LLMs). The company has previously said it will place hardware in an Eclairion facility in Bruyères-le-Châtel, in the Essonne region outside Paris.
Arthur Mensch, co-founder and CEO of Mistral AI, said: “CampusAI marks a pivotal step in reinforcing France’s position as a global leader in AI. By uniting top-tier expertise and cutting-edge solutions across the entire AI value chain, this initiative aims to foster sustainable AI ecosystems and create tangible benefits for companies, public institutions, and academic players. We are proud to play a pivotal role in making the AI Campus a driving force for accelerating AI adoption, innovation, and technological leadership in France.”
Other partners in the JV include the low-carbon energy firm EDG Group, Sipartech, France’s national electricity transmission operator RTE, French engineering group Bouygues, and the engineering university École Polytechnique.
Nvidia CEO Jensen said: “The AI Campus will be a transformational infrastructure for France – built in France, to fuel France in the era of AI. It will revolutionize science, education, and industry.”
Laura Chaubard, director general of École Polytechnique, added: “As a leading French academic and research institution, École Polytechnique is proud to contribute to the AI Campus by advancing cutting-edge research and training the next generation of AI leaders.”