France to use nuclear power for ambitious AI project
What's the story
France is capitalizing on its rich nuclear power resources to get ahead in the global artificial intelligence (AI) race.
The French government has pledged a gigawatt of nuclear power to a forthcoming AI computing initiative, as per The Wall Street Journal.
The project, which is expected to run into tens of billions of dollars, is aimed at massively boosting Europe's AI-computing capabilities.
Project details
Project timeline and comparison with US counterpart
The nuclear-powered AI project will begin construction in the third quarter of 2025, with FluidStack at the helm.
The first target would be to connect 250MW of power to AI-computing processors by the end of 2026.
The ambitious effort is similar to the US's Stargate project, backed by SoftBank and OpenAI, which starts with a Texas campus with 200MW of electricity and scales up to 1.2GW.
Funding
Funding and potential capacity of the AI facility
To fund the initial construction phase, FluidStack plans to use its own funds and take loans worth €10 billion.
The company is already in talks with some of the world's largest AI developers to use this new facility.
If fully developed by 2028, it could host some 500,000 of NVIDIA's AI chips. Plans are also in place for a further 10GW facility expansion by 2030.
Strategic advantage
France's nuclear power advantage in AI development
The AI project is in line with French President Emmanuel Macron's long-term plan to increase France's AI computing power.
In a meeting with executives last year, he emphasized that "low carbon and competitive electricity" is one of their competitive advantages for AI.
With 57 reactors across 18 plants, France already produces over two-thirds of its electricity from nuclear power, giving it a strategic advantage in this effort.
Global impact
Potential impact on global AI development landscape
If realized as planned, the FluidStack project could tip the scales of AI development toward France and Europe.
The initiative comes as part of another deal between France and the UAE to invest in establishing an AI campus in France, which would also consume a gigawatt of electricity.
Together, these efforts highlight France's determination to emerge as a major player in the global AI arena.