Cloud computing

European tech strategy advances with Germany’s new AI factory

Germany has launched one of Europe’s largest AI factories to boost EU-wide sovereign AI capacity. Deutsche Telekom unveiled the new ‘Industrial AI Cloud’ in Munich, in partnership with NVIDIA and Polarise.

Designed to deliver high-performance AI computing for industry, research, and public institutions, the platform keeps data operations under European jurisdiction. Company executives described the project as proof that Europe can build large-scale AI infrastructure aligned with its regulatory and sovereignty goals.

The AI factory runs on nearly 10,000 NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs, providing up to 0.5 exaFLOPS of computing power. Telekom said the capacity would be sufficient to support hundreds of millions of users accessing AI services simultaneously across the EU.

Officials in Germany framed the AI factory initiative as a strategic investment in technological leadership and digital independence. The infrastructure operates under German and EU data protection rules, positioning compliance and security as core competitive advantages.

Industrial applications are central to the project, with companies such as Siemens integrating simulation tools into the platform. The AI factory also runs on renewable energy, uses river water cooling, and plans to reuse waste heat within Munich’s urban network.

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MIT researchers unveil EnCompass for AI agent search

Researchers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and Asari AI have introduced EnCompass, a framework designed to enhance how AI agents interact with large language models.

The system improves agent performance by automatically backtracking when errors occur and running multiple execution paths in parallel to identify the most effective outcome.

Programming AI agents traditionally requires extensive additional code to handle model mistakes. EnCompass removes that burden by embedding retry and search logic directly into execution.

Developers annotate key decision points, allowing the framework to explore alternative reasoning paths while preserving the agent’s original workflow structure.

Efficiency gains appear significant. Trials show coding effort for search implementation reduced by as much as 80%, while accuracy in code translation tasks improved between 15% and 40%.

Researchers demonstrated the framework’s ability to optimise repository translation and rule discovery across complex digital systems.

Future applications extend to large-scale software maintenance, scientific experimentation, and engineering design. Presented at NeurIPS, EnCompass positions structured search as key to advancing reliable, high-performance AI agent systems.

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Frontier and GPT-5.3-Codex mark major OpenAI expansion

OpenAI has unveiled Frontier, a new enterprise platform designed to help organisations build, deploy, and manage AI agents capable of executing real operational work.

The launch reflects accelerating enterprise adoption, with businesses reporting measurable productivity gains across manufacturing, finance, sales, and energy operations through agent deployment.

Frontier addresses a growing gap between AI model capability and real-world implementation. The platform equips AI agents with shared organisational context, system access, governance permissions, and feedback learning mechanisms.

By integrating across existing cloud infrastructure, enterprise software, and data environments, Frontier enables AI coworkers to operate across workflows rather than within isolated tools.

Alongside the platform release, OpenAI introduced GPT-5.3-Codex, its most advanced agentic coding model to date. The system combines the coding strength of earlier Codex iterations with expanded reasoning and professional task execution.

Benchmark performance leads across SWE-Bench Pro, Terminal-Bench, OSWorld, and GDPval, reflecting gains in software engineering, computer use, and knowledge work automation.

Cybersecurity capabilities also advance with the release. GPT-5.3-Codex includes enhanced vulnerability detection training and operates under strengthened safeguards designed to support defensive research while mitigating misuse.

Together, Frontier and GPT-5.3-Codex position AI agents as scalable digital coworkers capable of executing complex technical and enterprise workloads end-to-end.

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French firms accelerate AI driven multicloud strategies

Enterprises in France are accelerating the use of AI to manage increasingly complex multicloud environments, according to new ISG research. Companies in France are balancing innovation, compliance and rising cost pressures.

The report says multicloud adoption in France now extends beyond large corporations to midsize firms and regulated sectors. Organisations in France are spreading workloads across hyperscalers and sovereign clouds to reduce risk.

AI driven automation is becoming central to cloud governance in France as manual oversight proves unsustainable. French enterprises are using AI tools for performance optimisation, anomaly detection and real time policy enforcement.

Data sovereignty and cost control are also shaping cloud strategies in France. Companies in France are adopting FinOps practices and sovereign cloud services to meet regulatory demands and strengthen cybersecurity.

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Germany voices unease over tech sovereignty with France

A senior German official has voiced frustration over joint tech sovereignty efforts with France, describing the experience as disillusioning. The remarks followed a high profile digital summit hosted by Germany and France in Berlin.

The comments came from Luise Hölscher of Germany, who said approaches to buying European technology differ sharply between Germany and France. Germany tends to accept solutions from across Europe, while France often favours domestic providers.

Despite tensions, Hölscher said the disagreement has not damaged the wider partnership between Germany and France. Germany is now exploring closer cooperation with other European countries.

The debate unfolds as the EU considers new rules on cloud services and AI procurement across Germany and France. European institutions are weighing how far public bodies should prioritise European suppliers.

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New multi-stage scams use PDF files to harvest corporate credentials

Phishing continues to succeed despite increasingly sophisticated AI-driven threats, with attackers relying on familiar tools such as PDFs and cloud services. Researchers have identified a new campaign using legitimate-looking documents to redirect victims to credential-harvesting pages impersonating Dropbox.

The attack starts with professional emails framed as procurement or tender requests. When recipients open the attached PDF, they are quietly redirected through trusted cloud infrastructure before reaching a fake Dropbox login page designed to steal corporate credentials.

Each stage appears legitimate in isolation, allowing the campaign to bypass standard filters and authentication checks. Business-style language, reputable hosting platforms, and realistic branding reduce suspicion while exploiting everyday workplace routines.

Security specialists warn that long-standing trust in PDFs and mainstream cloud services has lowered user vigilance. Employees have been conditioned to view these formats as safe, creating opportunities for attackers to weaponise familiar business tools.

Experts say phishing awareness must evolve beyond basic link warnings to reflect modern multi-stage attacks. Alongside training, layered defences such as multi-factor authentication and anomaly detection remain essential for limiting damage.

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Hybrid offices evolve as Zoom Spaces introduces agentic AI tools

Zoom is repositioning hybrid offices as intelligent work environments through Zoom Spaces, its AI-first workplace platform for collaboration and space management that gives IT teams centralised oversight while providing employees with consistent tools for meetings, scheduling, and in-office coordination.

New agentic AI features extend Zoom Spaces beyond room booking into proactive workplace assistance. Workspace Reservation now recommends optimal meeting spaces during overlaps, while upcoming voice commands for Zoom Rooms will enable hands-free meeting control and task capture.

Zoom says intelligent offices reduce friction caused by inconsistent technology, double bookings, and disconnected tools. By unifying scheduling and collaboration experiences, the platform aims to streamline movement between remote and in-person work.

The company is also expanding its ecosystem, allowing organisations to run Zoom Meetings on Cisco Rooms and integrate professional production tools through partners such as Vizrt. The strategy focuses on flexibility while maintaining consistent user experiences.

Additional upgrades include premium media capabilities for high-frame-rate video and improved mobile Workspace Reservation features. Zoom says these enhancements position Zoom Spaces as a next-generation hybrid workplace platform built around adaptive AI collaboration.

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AI demand drives record data centre growth for Roxtec

Global infrastructure specialist Roxtec has recorded unprecedented growth in data centre projects as demand accelerates for facilities capable of handling AI workloads and expanding cloud computing.

The company supplies sealing, fire-protection and modular transit systems, critical components that help keep data centres compliant with safety and performance standards.

Roxtec executives say the surge reflects the broader AI infrastructure boom, with organisations investing in new facilities and upgrades to house specialised servers, cooling systems and connectivity required for generative AI applications.

The company’s expanded order book and project pipeline are being attributed directly to heightened capacity planning from hyperscale providers, enterprise cloud tenants and edge-compute deployments.

This growth underscores how AI-driven compute demand is reshaping physical infrastructure markets beyond chips and software, spanning construction, power, cooling, and safety components integrated into modern data centres.

Roxtec sees sustained demand ahead as AI use cases proliferate and organisations prioritise resilient, compliant compute environments.

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Microsoft expands software security lifecycle for AI-driven platforms

AI is widening the cyber risk landscape and forcing security teams to rethink established safeguards. Microsoft has updated its Secure Development Lifecycle to address AI-specific threats across design, deployment and monitoring.

The updated approach reflects how AI can blur trust boundaries by combining data, tools, APIs and agents in one workflow. New attack paths include prompts, plugins, retrieved content and model updates, raising risks such as prompt injection and data poisoning.

Microsoft says policy alone cannot manage non-deterministic systems and fast iteration cycles. Guidance now centres on practical engineering patterns, tight feedback loops and cross-team collaboration between research, governance and development.

Its SDL for AI is organised around six pillars: threat research, adaptive policy, shared standards, workforce enablement, cross-functional collaboration and continuous improvement. Microsoft says the aim is to embed security into every stage of AI development.

The company also highlights new safeguards, including AI-specific threat modelling, observability, memory protections and stronger identity controls for agent workflows. Microsoft says more detailed guidance will follow in the coming months.

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Education drives Oracle’s strategy for scaling AI data centres

Oracle is expanding AI data centres across the United States while pairing infrastructure growth with workforce development through its philanthropic education programme, Oracle Academy.

The initiative provides schools and educators with curriculum, cloud tools, software, and hands-on training designed to prepare students for enterprise-scale technology roles increasingly linked to AI operations.

As demand for specialised skills rises, Oracle Academy is introducing Data Centre Technician courses to fast-track learners into permanent roles supporting AI infrastructure development and maintenance.

The programme already works with hundreds of institutions across multiple US states, including Texas, Michigan, Wisconsin, and New Mexico, spanning disciplines from computer science and engineering to construction management and supply chain studies.

Alongside new courses in machine learning, generative AI, and analytics, Oracle says the approach is intended to close skills gaps and ensure local communities benefit from the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure.

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