PARIS (AFP) – Microsoft on Sunday announced EUR4 billion in investment for developing data centres in France, joining fellow US giant Amazon in committing to the country’s tech infrastructure.
The announcements came on the eve of the seventh Choose France Summit, the aim of which is to attract foreign investors to the country. Macron will host it at the Chateau of Versailles near Paris.
Microsoft’s president Brad Smith told AFP the move to strengthen its artificial intelligence and cloud computing infrastructure was the tech giant’s biggest-ever investment in France since its arrival 41 years ago.
A new data centre will be created in eastern France, while existing sites in the Paris region and the southern city of Marseille will be expanded.
E-commerce behemoth Amazon will invest more than EUR1.2 billion in France, creating more than 3,000 jobs, French President Emmanuel Macron’s office said earlier on Sunday.
