GLOBAL MARKETS-Asia Stocks Skittish as Middle East Anxiety Offsets AI Optimism

• SoftBank plans to invest up to €75 billion to develop 5 GW of AI data center capacity in France, with an initial 3.1 GW target by 2031. • A joint venture between SoftBank and Sesterce will specifically develop and operate a 1 GW AI data center campus.

• French private equity firm Ardian is backing the development of a €5 billion AI "gigafactory" located outside of Paris. • The project involves the construction of a massive data center and research facility designed to bolster Europe's technological infrastructure.

• June 2026 reports on the European DeepTech sector highlight critical funding gaps and the ongoing struggle for funded companies to scale within the region. • The analysis emphasizes "structural realism" for founders, noting that growth is most sustainable in areas with deep scientific and engineering roots.

• A new survey reveals that European startups continue to rely heavily on US-based cloud and AI providers despite efforts to foster regional alternatives. • This dependency is driven by persistent capital gaps and the hope that using US infrastructure will make these companies more attractive for future acquisitions.

• SoftBank Group plans to invest up to $87 billion (€75 billion) in France to develop 5 gigawatts of AI data center capacity. • The project's first phase involves a $45 billion investment to establish 3.1 gigawatts of capacity by 2031.

• Europe is currently failing to meet its goal of increasing its global semiconductor production share to 20% by 2030. • To address this, the bloc is considering new plans to boost domestic demand and a streamlined, centralized subsidy process to better compete with the U.S.

• In June 2026, new AI model releases including GPT-5.5, Gemini, and Codestral are being compared alongside various open-source models. • The analysis focuses on evaluating these models to help users reduce operational costs, accelerate workflows, and optimize their AI technology stacks.

• South Korea's government has initiated a review of potential anti-discrimination legislation. • This move is part of the first-year policy agenda under the administration of President Lee Jae-myung.

• Asian stock markets experienced volatility as geopolitical tensions between the US and Iran offset optimism surrounding the artificial intelligence sector. • Tech gains were driven by news that AI developer Anthropic has confidentially filed for a US IPO, potentially reaching a trillion-dollar valuation.

• Fasken’s Privacy and Cybersecurity Group released its May 2026 monthly bulletin highlighting key legal updates across Canada, the US, and the EU. • The report emphasizes the EU's strategic focus on scientific research and the role of personal data processing in driving breakthroughs in artificial intelligence.

• Asian stock markets ended mostly higher on Monday, driven by strong investor optimism regarding the demand for semiconductors and AI-related hardware. • Nvidia, in partnership with Microsoft, unveiled the RTX Spark N1X ARM processor, a move intended to challenge the market dominance of Intel and AMD.