The Lead Project of the “French Stargate” Likely Won’t Be Operational Before 2028
The flagship initiative within France’s ambitious AI and data infrastructure strategy is expected to become fully operational no earlier than 2028. This timeline was announced during the recent Choose France summit, concurrently with the announcement of a new joint-venture aimed at driving the project forward. The primary goal of this venture is to develop a dedicated data center campus specializing in artificial intelligence located in the Île-de-France region. The project aims to reach a total capacity of 1.4 gigawatts (GW) by 2030, with construction anticipated to commence in the second half of 2026. This facility is envisioned to be an open, exascale platform explicitly designed to support the entire lifecycle of AI development and deployment.
Involvement of Major Stakeholders and Collaborative Partners
Key French energy and investment players are involved in this initiative, including EDF, RTE, and Bpifrance. International tech and infrastructure giants are also engaged, such as Sipartech, Bouygues through its subsidiaries Bouygues Construction and Equans, NVIDIA, and Mistral AI. Additionally, the project benefits from academic collaboration, notably with Polytechnique, which is committed to funding doctoral research and joint research projects. One significant academic partner is Mohammed bin Zayed University in the United Arab Emirates.
An Initial Investment of €8.5 Billion
Behind the scenes, a significant flow of Emirati capital is fueling the project. This financial injection was formalized three months ago during the AI Summit through a comprehensive cooperation agreement between France and the United Arab Emirates. Initially, reports indicated a total investment package ranging between €30 billion and €50 billion, with the “AI campus” being a key highlight of this broader financial commitment.
Currently, an initial tranche of €8.5 billion has been announced and allocated to the development efforts. The investment vehicle overseeing these funds is MGX, established last year under the leadership of Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, brother of the Emirati president and a national security advisor. MGX’s founding partners include Mubadala, the sovereign wealth fund of Abu Dhabi, and G42, an Emirati tech company striving to develop the Arab version of ChatGPT.
MGX has already invested in AI ventures such as OpenAI and xAI. Its network of partners is predominantly American, featuring Bain Capital, Silver Lake, Thoma Bravo, and Vista Equity Partners. Other notable participants include BlackRock, Global Infrastructure Partners, and Microsoft. Together, they have launched the Global AI Infrastructure Investment Partnership (GAIIP), which has the potential to mobilize up to $100 billion over a five-year period.
The Role of G42 and its International Ties
G42 is financed by Mubadala, Silver Lake, and Microsoft — which has invested approximately $1.5 billion into the company. Its close ties to China, notably through CEO Peng Xiao (who is Chinese-born), have previously attracted scrutiny from U.S. authorities. After diplomatic negotiations, G42 reached an agreement with the Biden administration, which included halting its collaborations with Chinese entities and divesting from its stake in ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok.
Emirates Also Linked to Stargate; NVIDIA Collaborates with Saudi Arabia
Recently, the UAE and Saudi Arabia announced their shared ambition to establish a massive 5 GW AI campus in Abu Dhabi. This project, associated with the Stargate initiative, will cover approximately 25 square kilometers—larger than Monaco. The first phase aims for a capacity of 1 GW, though no specific timeline has been provided for completion.
Simultaneously, NVIDIA has started collaborating with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund to develop AI manufacturing facilities with capacities up to 500 MW. The initial phase includes deploying an 18,000-chip supercomputer based on GB300 architecture, along with the deployment of NVIDIA’s Omniverse Cloud platform. The plan also incorporates an AI factory focused on smart city applications.
Growing Data Center Initiatives in France
France is ramping up its data center development efforts, especially since the Choose France summit. The government has committed to establishing 35 sites ready to host projects with capacities of up to 1 GW, targeting major metropolitan areas known for their data infrastructure such as Ashburn near Washington, D.C., and Slough near London.
To support these ambitions, France is bolstering its electricity production capabilities—aiming for a net export of 89 TWh in 2024—and pursuing a target of 95% decarbonization. Additionally, the government is implementing financial incentives for industrial electricity consumers and proposing regulatory reforms to streamline the process for data center development. These reforms include:
- Expanding the status of PINM (Major National Interest Project), established by the 2023 Green Industry Law, to encompass data centers.
- Revising the scope of the National Public Debate Commission (CNDP) to exclude data centers from its jurisdiction.
- Simplifying legal procedures by removing the requirement for hearings at multiple judicial levels, thereby reducing administrative hurdles.
These measures aim to make France a more attractive location for large-scale data infrastructure projects, aligning national policy with the rapidly expanding global AI and data economy.
