In an open letter dated 14 March, they emphasised the urgent need for Europe to strengthen its strategic autonomy in critical digital infrastructure, from AI frameworks to semiconductor manufacturing.
The letter warns that Europe’s reliance on foreign technology creates security risks and weakens economic growth. It highlights the importance of public investment, particularly in capital-intensive sectors like quantum computing and microchips. The signatories also suggest a ‘buy European’ policy in government procurement to boost demand and encourage local businesses to invest.
Prominent supporters of the initiative include French cloud provider OVH Cloud, the European Software Institute, and the German AI Association. The appeal also reached EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen, as Europe faces increasing pressure to compete with major US and Asian technology powers.
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Thailand has approved investments worth 90.9 billion baht ($2.7 billion) in data centres and cloud services, further boosting its growing tech sector. The newly approved projects include data centres by China’s Beijing Haoyang Cloud&Data Technology, Singapore-based Empyrion Digital, and Thailand’s GSA Data Center 02, according to the country’s investment board.
Among these, Beijing Haoyang plans to build a 300-megawatt data centre valued at 72.7 billion baht, while GSA Data Center 02 is investing 13.5 billion baht in a 35-megawatt facility.
The rapid rise of AI has fuelled demand for data infrastructure across Southeast Asia, making Thailand an attractive hub for investment. In January, TikTok’s parent company, Bytedance, announced plans to establish a data hosting service in Thailand worth 126.8 billion baht.
It follows significant investments from tech giants such as Google, which pledged $1 billion last year, and Amazon Web Services, which committed $5 billion over 15 years.
Microsoft has also revealed plans to open its first regional data centre in Thailand, reinforcing the country’s status as a growing digital hub in the region. With an increasing number of global technology firms choosing Thailand for data operations, the country is set to play a key role in Southeast Asia’s evolving digital economy.
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SoftBank plans to transform a former Sharp LCD factory in Osaka into a large-scale data centre for AI.
The Japanese telecom giant intends to purchase the facility and surrounding land for approximately 100 billion yen ($677 million), with operations set to begin in 2026.
Once operational, the centre will be among Japan‘s largest, boasting a power capacity of 150 megawatts.
The project is part of SoftBank’s collaboration with OpenAI to commercialise AI agent technology in Japan. The data centre will support the training of AI models on client companies’ data, offering customised AI solutions tailored to business needs.
The investment in the venture is expected to be significant, potentially reaching 1 trillion yen ($6.77 billion).
SoftBank’s move highlights its commitment to AI infrastructure as demand for advanced computing power grows. The company and OpenAI have not yet commented on the reported plans.
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China’s hedge fund industry is undergoing a transformative shift, spurred by High-Flyer’s integration of AI in its trading strategies. The multi-billion-dollar fund not only uses AI to enhance its portfolio but also created DeepSeek, a game-changing LLM that has disrupted the dominance of Western AI firms like those in Silicon Valley.
The breakthrough has ignited an AI arms race among Chinese asset managers, including firms like Baiont Quant, Wizard Quant, and Mingshi Investment Management, as they rush to incorporate AI into their investment workflows.
AI-powered trading has gained momentum, with many hedge funds now using AI to process market data and generate trading signals based on investor risk profiles. As competition for “alpha” (outperformance) intensifies, the demand for AI talent is surging.
Companies like Wizard Quant and Mingshi are actively recruiting top AI engineers, and even mutual funds, such as China Merchants Fund, have adopted DeepSeek to boost their efficiency. The open-source model has democratised access to AI, lowering the entry barrier for smaller Chinese funds, which had previously been unable to compete with their Western counterparts due to high costs.
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Dapr, the open-source microservices runtime introduced by Microsoft in 2019, has added new capabilities to support AI agents, broadening its appeal to developers creating scalable distributed applications.
Initially designed to simplify microservice-based app development, Dapr’s new functionality builds on its existing concept of virtual actors, making it easier to incorporate AI agents into systems.
The newly launched Dapr Agents offer developers a framework to efficiently run AI agents at scale with statefulness, making it ideal for applications involving large language models (LLMs).
However, this update allows seamless integration with popular AI providers, such as AWS Bedrock, OpenAI, and Hugging Face. Developers also benefit from Dapr’s orchestration and resource-efficient model, ensuring agents can spin up quickly when needed and retain state after tasks are completed.
Dapr Agents currently support Python, with plans for .NET and other languages like Java and Go coming soon.
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Several major companies, including Amazon and Google, have pledged to support the goal of tripling the world’s nuclear energy capacity by 2050.
However, this commitment was made during the CERAWeek conference in Houston, with other signatories such as shale company Occidental and Japanese firm IHI Corp. The World Nuclear Association (WNA) facilitated the pledge and expects more industries, including maritime and aviation, to join in the coming months.
Nuclear energy currently accounts for 9% of the world’s electricity, produced by 439 power reactors. As large tech companies like Amazon and Google pursue nuclear projects, including small modular reactors, the demand for uranium, essential for nuclear technology, has surged.
With high demand, uranium prices reached a 16-year peak last year, driven by supply disruptions during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
Despite this, global nuclear power generation continues to be concentrated in just a few countries, with 411 reactors in operation as of early 2025, providing a combined 371 gigawatts of capacity.
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Chinese startup Zhipu AI has secured 500 million yuan (£54.8 million) in funding from the state-owned Huafa Group, following a separate 1 billion yuan capital raise earlier this month.
Huafa Group, a government-backed conglomerate based in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, announced its investment as Chinese cities compete to support AI firms, a sector seen as critical in Beijing’s technological rivalry with the US.
The funding comes amid increasing competition in China’s AI industry, particularly with Hangzhou-backed DeepSeek, whose large language models have gained attention for their cost-effectiveness and performance against Western alternatives.
Zhipu AI, established in 2019 and recognised as one of China’s ‘AI tigers,’ has received investments from major tech firms including Tencent, Meituan, and Xiaomi. The startup was valued at 20 billion yuan (£2.2 billion) in a funding round last July, according to business registration platform Qichacha.
With the new funding, Zhipu AI aims to enhance technological innovation and further develop its GLM foundation model.
However, the company faces challenges on the international stage, having been added to the US Commerce Department’s export control list in January, restricting its access to American components.
Despite these hurdles, China continues to bolster its AI sector as it seeks to establish a leading position in global artificial intelligence development.
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Mark Cuban, the tech entrepreneur and investor, spoke at the SXSW conference, where he highlighted the importance of AI for small businesses. He stressed that while AI can be a valuable tool, it should never be seen as the ultimate answer to business success. Cuban explained that AI can help entrepreneurs by making it easier to start and grow businesses, answering questions, and aiding in tasks like research, emails, and sales calls. However, he cautioned against over-relying on AI.
Cuban encouraged entrepreneurs to spend time learning about AI, pointing out how much easier it is to start a business today compared to the past, thanks to the availability of AI tools and internet access. He acknowledged that AI can make mistakes and isn’t perfect, but noted that human experts can also be wrong. In creative fields, Cuban argued that while AI can help with certain tasks like video creation, it’s not a substitute for human creativity, especially when it comes to things like writing scripts or generating quality art.
The tech mogul highlighted that AI should amplify human skills, not replace them. He warned that those who neglect to use AI might find themselves at a disadvantage, as competitors who utilise AI will have the edge.
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Italy’s Synapsia has signed a $2.5 billion agreement with UAE’s Bold Technologies to provide AI-powered city management solutions for Abu Dhabi.
The partnership aims to enhance urban infrastructure, transportation, and emergency response through AI. Payments will be made in five instalments over 18 months, subject to project milestones.
The initiative, described as a ‘cognitive city project,’ will use AI to improve efficiency by integrating real-time data across various sectors.
As part of the deal, the companies will establish a new entity, My Aion Inc., which is expected to launch an initial public offering on the Abu Dhabi stock exchange between 2027 and 2029.
Italy has been strengthening economic ties with Gulf nations under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, with the UAE pledging to invest $40 billion in Italy.
The agreement also highlights the UAE’s ambition to position itself as a leader in AI, competing with regional players such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
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At the SXSW conference, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna addressed two key topics: global trade and the role of artificial intelligence in programming. Krishna expressed his belief that global trade remains vital for economic growth, citing the historical correlation between increased trade and GDP growth.
He also argued that embracing international talent through policies supporting immigration would benefit the US, allowing it to remain competitive in the global market.
Turning to AI, Krishna disagreed with predictions that AI would soon take over coding entirely. Instead, he believes AI will increase programmer productivity by assisting with simpler tasks, allowing developers to focus on more complex problems.
He argued that AI could boost the output of existing teams, helping companies gain market share by enabling faster production and more efficient workflows.
While AI may revolutionise some aspects of work, Krishna maintained that it won’t replace human workers entirely. Drawing a parallel with the initial fears surrounding calculators and Photoshop, he described AI as a tool that enhances rather than replaces human expertise.
His comments come amid growing discussions about the future role of AI in various industries, including programming. Krishna also acknowledged the ongoing challenges in AI, such as intellectual property concerns and the need for energy-efficient models.
Krishna further stated that while AI would become cheaper and more accessible, it would not be the key to groundbreaking scientific discoveries. Instead, he emphasised the potential of quantum computing to accelerate innovation, with IBM’s ongoing investments in the technology.
His remarks highlighted both the promise and the limitations of AI, positioning it as an important tool in advancing industries but not a solution to all challenges.
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