In France

New data centers planned by Amazon & Microsoft

The AI hype goes hand in hand with the expansion of data centers.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com)

The US companies Microsoft and Amazon have both announced investments worth billions in France. Microsoft is planning to build a new data center and expand existing ones at a cost of four billion euros, the company announced on Sunday. According to the French presidential office, Amazon announced plans to invest 1.2 billion euros in its cloud service division Amazon Web Services and the logistics of its mail order business.

The announcements are part of a series of investment decisions that have already been announced or are expected to be announced as part of the Choose France event, which begins on Monday. French President Emmanuel Macron has invited the representatives of numerous tech companies to Versailles to attract investment.

Largest investment in France to date
According to the announcement, Microsoft is planning a new data center in Mulhouse, Alsace, as well as the expansion of its existing sites in the capital region and near Marseille. "This is the largest investment we have ever made (in France, editor's note)," CEO Brad Smith told the AFP news agency.

The company is considered a pioneer in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and has been investing heavily in its development and the necessary infrastructure for months. In Germany, Microsoft also announced the expansion and new construction of data centers for 3.2 billion euros in February.

With regard to Amazon, the President's Office essentially confirmed media reports about planned investments in France. According to these reports, more than 3,000 new jobs are to be created in the online retail sector, among other things. Further investment announcements were made by pharmaceutical companies Pfizer from the USA and AstraZeneca from the UK, as well as the Canadian French fries manufacturer McCain.