Microsoft pledges $4.3 bn investment at Macron's 'Choose France' summit

Microsoft announced its most substantial commitment yet to France, pledging on Monday to invest 4 billion euros ($4.3 billion) this year to bolster the country's burgeoning artificial intelligence sector.

The move is part of a broader effort unveiled during President Emmanuel Macron's pro-business event, Choose France, which aims to attract foreign investment and stimulate economic growth.

Microsoft's vice chair and president, Brad Smith, visited the company's French headquarters with Macron.

We will build out the computing capacity here in France," Smith said. "We will put this infrastructure to work for everyone in France.

The plan includes expanding next-generation Cloud and AI infrastructure and delivering up to 25,000 of the most advanced GPUs, or graphics processing units, to France by the end of 2025.
 

 

Additionally, Microsoft will launch an AI skilling initiative to train one million French people by the end of 2027, emphasizing the importance of equipping citizens with future-ready skills.

The announcement was made as part of the annual Choose France summit, created by Macron in 2018. The summit, held this year at the Palace of Versailles, was attended by 180 international CEOs and senior business executives. It highlighted foreign investments totaling a reported 15 billion euros, surpassing last year's 13 billion euros raised through 28 projects.

Macron addressed the necessity of advancing AI technology in Europe and told Microsoft staff, We are entering a totally different world where the competition will be ferocious, and we can only win this competition if we have trusted partners, and you are among them.

This significant investment underscores Microsoft's commitment to supporting French growth in the AI economy and marks a milestone in the ongoing efforts to enhance France's position as a global leader in technology and innovation.

Intel, Apollo near $11 bn Ireland plant deal: WSJ

Intel is in advanced talks for a deal with Apollo Global Management in which the equity firm would provide more than $11 billion to build a facility in Ireland, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. The move comes as Intel looks to expand its presence across the United States with a planned $100-billion spending spree across four states, to boost its manufacturing business and catch up with chipmaking rival TSMC. Intel and Apollo are in exclusive talks for the deal, which could be signed in the coming weeks, the report said. (Reuters)