Artificial Intelligence (AI)

France was one of the first countries to adopt a national strategy for artificial intelligence in 2018, accompanied by funding of €1.5 billion.

Building on this pro‑active policy, it has 81 AI laboratories, the largest number in Europe, and many foreign businesses, such as OpenAI, DeepMind and Microsoft, have chosen France to set up or strengthen their AI laboratories.

The sector in figures

• #1 European country for foreign investments in AI, France attracted 41 AI‑related projects in 2024
• €1.9 billion raised by French startups in AI in 2024
• Third country in the world in terms of AI researchers

France’s ambitions

Since 2018, France has been implementing an ambitious national strategy in three phases:

• Phase 1 (2018-2022): Structuring research (€1.5 billion)
• Phase 2 (since 2022): Accelerating innovation (€1 billion granted through the “France 2030” scheme)
• Phase 3 (2025): Widespread dissemination of AI in society, businesses and public services

A dynamic ecosystem

With more than 1,000 startups (including 16 unicorns), France is a leading technological power.

It particularly stands out in two key areas:

• machine learning (automatic learning)
• computer vision (which allows computers to acquire high-level understanding from digital images or videos).

The country is an attractive destination for AI research, with many public laboratories and several private businesses that have chosen to set up their R&D centers in the country. It hosts the R&D centers of several global giants, including Alphabet (Google), Meta, IBM, Samsung and Fujitsu.

Cutting-edge infrastructure

• Three major public supercomputers: Jean Zay, Adastra and Alice Recoque, supporting more than 1,200 AI projects.
• Launch in 2025 of INESIA, the leading European institute for AI evaluation and safety.
• More than 35 sites identified to host low-carbon data centers, with fast-tracked administrative procedures.

A large talent pool

Every year, more than 40,000 people are trained in AI, with a target of 100,000 by 2030.

This momentum is supported by the network of AI Clusters and programs, such as Skills and Jobs for the Future.

Carbon-free and affordable electricity

Thanks to its nuclear sector, France has one of the least carbon-intensive energy mixes in the world. It is ranked second in Europe for the most carbon-free electricity production.

It can guarantee a stable supply at a competitive cost through long-term contracts for manufacturers with an electro-intensive status.

• Amazon announced a €1.2 billion investment to develop AWS cloud infrastructure in France, as part of an overall €6 billion plan by 2031.

• Brookfield announced a €20 billion investment program, including €15 billion via Data4 to triple data center capacity in France by 2030.

• Accenture announced the opening of two generative AI centers in Paris and Sophia-Antipolis to benefit large businesses and centers of academic and university excellence (Institut Polytechnique de Paris, Sciences Po, ESSEC, INRIA).