Fluidstack, founded in 2017 in Oxford Universityis a leading AI cloud provider, powering Mistral, Character.AI, Poolside, and Black Forest Labs amongst others. The new facility will leverage France’s predominantly nuclear energy to provide up to 1 GW of dedicated AI computing power. The project is designed for scalable expansion beyond 1 GW by 2028, and is intended to position France as a premier global AI hub,
With strong interest already secured from its financial partners, Phase 1 of the project will be supported by an initial investment of €10bn ($10.36bn) and is expected to become operational in 2026. “This partnership allows us to rapidly develop the infrastructure needed to support the next wave of AI innovations,” said Maklary. “Partnering with the French government and global industry leaders, we are creating the most advanced computing capabilities in the world – right here in France. France’s commitment to digital and energy sovereignty makes it the ideal location for such an ambitious project.
French President Emmanuel Macron said France is the leading European country in artificial intelligence. “Since 2017, we have trained our talents, developed our research, and strengthened our key players in healthcare, space, defence, and large language models. We have a role to play because our nuclear energy is controllable, safe, stable, and decarbonised – ideal for expanding our AI computing capabilities.… We must not slow down because the world is accelerating and the battle for innovation is happening now,” said the President.
The Summit also saw EDF announces the upcoming launch of a call for expressions of interest for digital companies. The objective is to provide access to suitable sites for developing new data centres in France. EDF said France offers access to low-carbon electricity, at competitive prices, and available at all times for the installation of data centres.
“To remove potential investment barriers and accelerate project development supporting electrification, EDF will offer to the digital companies who are interested, ready-to-use land spaces connected to the electrical grid,” EDF noted. “This will reduce the time needed to complete projects by several years. Land spaces will be allocated on the basis of objective and transparent criteria, focusing in particular on the credibility and maturity of companies’ projects.”
EDF will also offer interested companies personalised support for the end-to-end completion of the necessary steps to develop their project. This could include electricity supply and service offers suited to their projects. EDF has pre-identified four industrial sites on its own land, with a total available power estimated at 2 GW. The identification of land spaces continues with the goal of selecting two additional sites by 2026.
In France, thanks to EDF and its mix mainly composed of nuclear and renewables, our electricity is abundant, competitive, and low-carbon,” said Stéphane Raison, Director of EDF in charge of the installation of large consumption sites. “This is a major asset to attract players in the digital sector whose electricity needs are linked to the development of Artificial Intelligence. EDF offers concrete solutions to companies wishing to set up in France with the aim of accelerating the time needed to complete their projects.”
