PARIS, May 30 (Reuters) - Japan's SoftBank Group

will invest €45 billion over the next five years in a

push to build up artificial intelligence infrastructure in

France, founder Masayoshi Son told the paper La Tribune Dimanche

in an interview published on Saturday.

Son said the investment, described as the biggest of its

kind so far in Europe, would be made in the northern

Hauts-de-France region. The overall sum SoftBank intends to

invest in France will reach €75 billion, Son said.

The investment plans are due to be formally announced on

Monday at the annual Choose France business conference.

According to La Tribune Dimanche, two sites for data centres

at Le Bosquel and Dunkirk are expected to come into operation in

2028 and 2031 respectively, providing together more than 5

gigawatts of computing capacity.

"The fact that the country is a producer and exporter of

energy is absolutely decisive for investments in AI

infrastructure," Son said when asked why he picked France.

The French commitment adds to a global AI infrastructure

spending spree by SoftBank. Its investments in AI also include

over $30 billion invested in OpenAI ​so far, for about an 11%

stake.

France has been using the Choose France summit to court

foreign investors since it was launched by President Emmanuel

Macron in 2018.