France Plugs into Nuclear Energy to Power AI Dominance

France is making a bold move to boost its position in the global artificial intelligence race by capitalizing on its abundant nuclear energy resources. The French government plans to dedicate a gigawatt of nuclear power to a new AI computing initiative, with investments projected to reach several billion dollars.

President Emmanuel Macron highlighted France's advantages, stating the country will "commit to a clear timeline" and "deliver" on AI development, drawing parallels to the rapid reconstruction of Notre Dame Cathedral. Macron emphasized that France's low-carbon electricity, generated by nuclear power, gives it a competitive edge in supporting the energy-intensive demands of AI. He noted that France already produces over two-thirds of its electricity from nuclear power, making it an ideal location for AI development. Macron quipped, "I have a good friend in the other part of the ocean saying 'drill, baby, drill.' Here there is no need to drill. It's just plug, baby, plug".

The nuclear-powered AI project is scheduled to begin construction in the third quarter of 2025, under the leadership of FluidStack. The initial goal is to connect 250MW of power to AI-computing processors by the end of 2026. If fully developed by 2028, the facility could potentially host around 500,000 of NVIDIA's AI chips. There are also plans for further expansion to a 10GW facility by 2030.

Macron announced that France has identified 35 sites ready for immediate data center development, supported by the country's energy surplus. France aims to increase the annual output of AI and data science specialists from 40,000 to 100,000.

France is also partnering with the UAE to establish an AI campus in France, which would also consume a gigawatt of electricity.