Bruzzo Dubucq advises Sesterce on the formation of a joint venture with SoftBank Group to build a 1 GW AI campus in Bosquel

Aix-en-Provence / Paris · 1 June 2026 · Deal announcement

Bruzzo Dubucq has advised Sesterce on the formation of a joint venture, majority-owned by SoftBank Group Corp, selected to develop and operate a 1 gigawatt data centre campus dedicated to artificial intelligence in Bosquel, in the Somme.

Located in the Hauts-de-France region, the Bosquel site enjoys a strategic position close to Europe’s main economic and technology hubs (Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, London and Frankfurt), enabling it to serve customers running low-latency AI workloads across the continent.

The project forms part of SoftBank’s commitment in France, unveiled at the Choose France 2026 summit. This commitment, described by SoftBank Group itself as its largest AI infrastructure investment in Europe, covers up to €75 billion to develop and operate 5 GW of AI data centre capacity in France. The first phase, representing an initial investment of €45 billion, aims to deploy 3.1 GW in the Hauts-de-France region by 2031, across three sites: Dunkirk (Loon-Plage), Bosquel and Bouchain. The Bosquel campus, developed by the joint venture with Sesterce, accounts for 1 GW of this first phase.

The joint venture combines SoftBank Group’s global AI infrastructure platform with Sesterce’s operational capabilities in data centre deployment. The campus will be designed to meet the performance, sustainability and scale requirements of Europe’s fast-growing AI ecosystem, using advanced technologies to minimise its environmental impact and water consumption.

VOICES OF THE PARTIES

“France’s digital sovereignty will not be won in speeches, but in concrete, copper and silicon. That is much harder to relocate, and we have strong assets.”
Anthony Roustan, Partner, Bruzzo Dubucq

“Bosquel is an important step in SoftBank’s commitment to helping build this infrastructure in France, bringing together large-scale compute capacity and strong local partnerships to support the European AI ecosystem.”
Masayoshi Son, Chairman and CEO, SoftBank Group Corp.

“This partnership with SoftBank is a defining moment for Sesterce and for the future of sovereign AI infrastructure in Europe. Together, we believe that Bosquel has the potential to become a flagship AI Factory, combining energy, compute and execution at the scale required by the next generation of artificial intelligence.”
Youssef El Manssouri, CEO & co-founder, and Anthony Tchakerian, GM & co-founder, Sesterce

“From the outset, our priority has been to ensure that this project creates long-term value for our area and for future generations. Bosquel represents a major opportunity for Hauts-de-France and for France’s digital future.”
Alain Desfosses, President, Communauté de communes Somme Sud-Ouest

LOCAL ROOTS

Beyond its national and European significance, the Bosquel campus is designed to deliver lasting benefits for the local community. The joint venture has provided for the creation of a €10 million endowment fund, jointly managed with the Hauts-de-France region, to promote the use of AI in the region’s businesses, schools, universities and organisations.

A community centre will be set up on the site, serving as a meeting place for residents, local businesses, students, entrepreneurs and public stakeholders, with the mission of ensuring an ongoing dialogue about the project and the opportunities offered by AI.

ADVISORY TEAMS

Bruzzo Dubucq (counsel to Sesterce)
Anthony Roustan (partner), Virginie Cadouin (partner), Vincent Doumergue (lawyer), Jade Flechon (legal adviser)

White & Case (counsel to SoftBank Group)
Brice Engel (partner, lead), Franck De Vita (partner), Sarah Fleury (partner), Jean-Luc Champy (partner), Yann Utzschneider (partner), Orion Berg (partner)

***

Bruzzo Dubucq advises Sesterce on the formation of a joint venture with SoftBank Group to build a 1 GW AI campus in Bosquel Aix-en-Provence

Bruzzo Dubucq has advised Sesterce on the formation of a joint venture, majority-owned by SoftBank Group Corp, selected to develop and operate a 1 gigawatt AI data centre campus in Bosquel, in the Somme.

Located in the Hauts-de-France region, the Bosquel site benefits from a strategic position close to Europe’s main economic and technology centres (Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, London and Frankfurt), enabling it to serve customers running AI workloads at low latency across the continent.

The project is part of SoftBank’s commitment to France, announced at the Choose France 2026 summit. This commitment, described by SoftBank Group itself as its largest AI infrastructure investment in Europe, covers up to €75 billion to develop and operate 5 GW of AI data centre capacity in France. The first phase, representing an initial investment of €45 billion, targets 3.1 GW of capacity in the Hauts-de-France region by 2031, across three sites: Dunkirk (Loon-Plage), Bosquel and Bouchain. The Bosquel campus, developed by the joint venture with Sesterce, represents 1 GW of this first phase.

The joint venture combines SoftBank Group’s global AI infrastructure platform with Sesterce’s data centre deployment capabilities. The campus will be designed to meet the performance, sustainability and scale requirements of Europe’s rapidly expanding AI ecosystem, using advanced technologies to minimise its environmental impact and water usage.

VOICES OF THE PARTIES

“Digital sovereignty will not be won in speeches: it will be built in concrete, copper and silicon. That is a lot harder to relocate, and France has the assets to do it.”
Anthony Roustan, Partner, Bruzzo Dubucq

“Bosquel is an important step in SoftBank’s commitment to helping build that infrastructure foundation in France, bringing together large-scale compute capacity and strong local partnerships to support Europe’s AI ecosystem.”
Masayoshi Son, Chairman and CEO, SoftBank Group Corp.

“This partnership with SoftBank represents a defining moment for Sesterce and for the future of sovereign AI infrastructure in Europe. Together, we believe Bosquel has the potential to become a flagship AI Factory, combining energy, compute and execution at the scale required by the next generation of artificial intelligence.”
Youssef El Manssouri, CEO & co-founder, and Anthony Tchakerian, GM & co-founder, Sesterce

“From the beginning, our priority has been to ensure that this project creates long-term value both for our territory and for future generations. Bosquel represents a major opportunity for Hauts-de-France and for France’s digital future.”
Alain Desfosses, President, Communauté de communes Somme Sud-Ouest

LOCAL ANCHORING

Beyond its national and European significance, the Bosquel campus is designed to generate lasting benefits for the local community. The joint venture has established a €10 million endowment fund, jointly managed with the Hauts-de-France region, aimed at promoting AI adoption among local businesses, schools, universities and community organisations.

A community centre will be established on site, serving as a meeting space for residents, local businesses, students, entrepreneurs and public stakeholders, with a mission to ensure ongoing dialogue around the project and the opportunities created by AI.