SoftBank Group Bouchain AI Data Center: 400MW Repurposed Industrial AI Factory Hauts-de-France

Status: Announced / Preferred Bidder Selected & Active Due Diligence Phase   |   Location: Former EDF Thermal Power Plant Industrial Brownfield Site, Bouchain, Nord, Hauts-de-France, France

Project Overview

The SoftBank Bouchain AI Data Center Campus is a flagship 400 MW brownfield digital infrastructure transformation project located at EDF’s former industrial power generation site in Bouchain, within France’s Nord department in the Hauts-de-France region. Selected by EDF as the preferred bidder under a long-term construction lease, SoftBank Group is repurposing the existing heavy-utility industrial site into a purpose-built sovereign AI compute factory designed to accommodate the rapidly expanding computational requirements of artificial intelligence and high-performance computing. The project was formally unveiled at the 2026 Choose France Summit as a major component of SoftBank’s broader European AI infrastructure strategy, forming part of its planned €45 billion, 3.1 GW expansion across the Hauts-de-France region. The Bouchain campus benefits from its industrial heritage and strategic access to established utility infrastructure, including direct connections to France’s high-voltage electricity grid. This power infrastructure provides a strong foundation for energy-intensive AI workloads, which require substantial and reliable electricity capacity for large-scale GPU clusters and advanced computing systems. The site also benefits from existing heavy industrial water rights, creating additional opportunities for sophisticated cooling and thermal-management systems required by high-density AI deployments. To accelerate construction and improve scalability, the development incorporates modular prefabricated power enclosures being built in partnership with Schneider Electric. This approach can support standardized deployment of critical electrical infrastructure while helping reduce construction complexity and enable faster expansion as computing demand increases. By transforming an existing industrial site rather than developing an entirely new greenfield location, the Bouchain project demonstrates how legacy power and industrial assets can be adapted for next-generation digital infrastructure. With substantial planned capacity, high-voltage grid access, industrial utility resources, modular power systems, and a strategic position within SoftBank’s European AI expansion, the Bouchain AI Data Center Campus is positioned to become a significant hub for sovereign AI computing and advanced digital infrastructure in France.

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