US companies Microsoft and Amazon have each announced billions in investments in France. Microsoft plans to build a new data center and expand existing data centers for four billion euros, the company announced on Sunday. According to the French presidential office, Amazon pledged 1.2 billion euros for its cloud services division Amazon Web Services and the logistics of its mail order business.
The announcements are part of a series of investment decisions already announced or expected to be announced during the Choose France event starting on Monday. French President Emmanuel Macron has invited representatives of numerous technology companies to Versailles to attract investments.
Largest investment in France to date
According to the announcement, Microsoft is planning a new data center in Mulhouse, Alsace, and expanding its existing locations in the capital region and near Marseille. “It’s the biggest investment we’ve ever made (in France, mind you),” CEO Brad Smith told 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 in February the expansion and construction of new data centers for 3.2 billion euros.
Regarding Amazon, the presidential office essentially confirmed media reports of planned investments in France. According to this, more than 3,000 new jobs will be created in the field of online commerce. Further investment announcements came from pharmaceutical companies Pfizer from the US and AstraZeneca from Great Britain, as well as from Canadian chip manufacturer McCain.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
