Iliad said that AI-focused investments will include data centers, computing power and research, among other fields
France-based Iliad Group has earmarked €3 billion ($3.09 billion) to enhance AI-focused infrastructure, including data centers, computing power, research and application layers.
In a release, the group noted that OpCore, the Iliad Group subsidiary that operates 13 data centers, is set to invest €2.5 billion to strengthen its role as a European leader in hyperscale data centers, which are vital for AI computing resources. To support this objective, the Group has entered into a strategic partnership with InfraVia, an European private equity firm. This collaboration will allow OpCore to secure several hundred megawatts of capacity in the short term, with an ultimate goal of expanding to multiple gigawatts of capacity across Europe.
Through Scaleway, its B2B cloud provider subsidiary, the Iliad Group has built the largest commercially available AI computing capacity in Europe. Companies can now access nearly 5,000 high-performance GPUs to train and deploy their AI models. Scaleway is already trusted by leading AI firms, including Mistral AI, H, and Photoroom. Thanks to Scaleway, top-tier open-source AI models such as Llama (Meta), Moshi (Kyutai) and DeepSeek are accessible within a sovereign and secure cloud environment.
Meanwhile, a new partnership between Free, owned by Iliad Group and Mistral AI marks a significant milestone in France’s AI landscape. Free said it has become the first telecom operator in the country to provide its mobile subscribers with an AI assistant. As part of this collaboration, Free’s 15.5 million subscribers will have exclusive access to “le Chat Pro” — the premium AI assistant developed by Mistral AI — free for 12 months.
The Iliad Group also said it has co-founded Kyutai, which claims to be Europe’s first independent nonprofit AI research lab dedicated to open science. At its launch in late 2023, the Group committed €100 million to this initiative.
Kyutai has already made breakthroughs in the AI field, notably unveiling Moshi, an open-source voice AI model, in July 2024 the lab introduced Hibiki, an innovative voice translation technology.
Beyond Iliad’s investment, France is becoming a key AI hub, as the country recently joined forces with the United Arab Emirates to invest €30-50 billion in a 1GW AI data center and other AI-related projects. The initiative was announced after a meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and his Emirati counterpart, Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.
While the exact location of the AI campus has yet to be determined, it will be built somewhere in France. In addition to the data center, the project will focus on investments in AI chips, talent development and the creation of virtual data embassies, which will play a crucial role in sovereign AI and cloud infrastructures for both nations.
A report from AFP revealed that a “consortium of Franco-Emirati champions,” including the MGX investment fund, will develop the project. MGX, backed by Abu Dhabi, has also invested in OpenAI’s Stargate, a $500 billion initiative to expand AI infrastructure in the United States over the next four years.
Clara Chappaz, France’s digital and AI minister, recently disclosed that the French government has identified 35 locations across the country that are suitable for new data centers. These sites will be granted fast-track planning approval, according to the report.
