Mistral AI Commits €1.2 Billion to Swedish Data Center for European AI Sovereignty

French artificial intelligence developer Mistral AI formalized plans on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, to begin construction on significant data center facilities in Sweden. This development marks the company's first major infrastructure commitment outside of France, valued at an estimated €1.2 billion, approximately US$1.5 billion at the time of the announcement.

This substantial capital deployment into Swedish territory signals a clear commitment to bolstering European technological autonomy in the field of large language models and generative artificial intelligence. The investment directly supports the broader European ambition to achieve greater digital sovereignty by reducing dependence on non-European cloud providers for foundational AI processing capabilities.

Sweden was selected due to its established infrastructure, which includes robust renewable energy capacity and a regulatory environment conducive to large-scale data operations. The investment is structured to support the next generation of Mistral AI's foundational models, which require exponentially greater processing power. The initial construction phase is scheduled to start in the latter half of 2026, with the first operational clusters anticipated by early 2028.

The establishment of this major technology hub is projected to generate hundreds of specialized engineering and operational roles in the Nordic region over the next five years. Furthermore, the energy sourcing strategy emphasizes a commitment to 100% carbon-neutral power, leveraging Sweden's hydroelectric and wind capacity, aligning with European Union sustainability objectives.

The total planned capacity for the Swedish complex, expected to be fully realized by 2030, is estimated to exceed 500 megawatts of dedicated computing power, positioning it as one of Europe's largest dedicated AI training facilities. This scale is necessary to support the development of state-of-the-art models with trillions of parameters, solidifying Mistral AI's transition toward controlling both the intellectual property and the physical infrastructure required for continued innovation.

The Swedish government reportedly offered incentives, including streamlined permitting and favorable long-term energy contracts, to secure the landmark investment, underscoring the national priority placed on fostering a domestic AI ecosystem capable of maintaining technological leadership.