SoftBank Commits $87.3B to France AI Infrastructure Buildout

• Fund managers are increasingly purchasing European software stocks after a period of significant decline in valuations. • The shift is driven by a decrease in investor fears that artificial intelligence will disrupt or replace traditional software business models.

• Former President Trump's strategy of weaponizing European reliance on U.S. technology firms has accelerated the European Union's drive for digital sovereignty. • This shift has overcome previous internal resistance from member states like Denmark and the Netherlands, which had historically blocked French-led efforts to restrict data storage on U.S. servers.

• The S&P 500 has reached new highs driven by a small group of AI-focused stocks, causing market breadth to narrow to record levels. • Analyst Michael Hartnett notes that this concentration of gains mirrors the speculative price action seen during the peak of the dotcom era.

• South Korea's stock market has overtaken India's to become the world's sixth-largest, fueled by a massive AI boom and the success of its semiconductor giants. • India's market performance is currently hindered by a lack of direct AI exposure and the negative impact of a weakening rupee.

• Sterlite Technologies has emerged as a dominant Indian AI proxy, with its share prices soaring by 450% in 2026. • The company's growth has significantly outperformed global memory giants, including Samsung and SK Hynix, during the same period.

• Over €3.1 billion was invested across more than 60 tech funding deals in Europe during the final week of May. • The UK led investment totals with €2.6 billion, largely driven by the Pure DC round, followed by Germany (€226.5 million) and Ireland (€94.4 million).

• SoftBank Group Corp. announced plans to invest up to €75 billion to develop 5 GW of AI data centre capacity in France. • The initiative was unveiled at the Choose France summit, with an initial phase allocating €45 billion to the Hauts-de-France region by 2031.

• Focused Energy, a German-American fusion energy spin-off from Technical University Darmstadt, raised $240 million in a Series A funding round on May 27, 2026. • The investment was led by RWE, the Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovation (SPRIND), the European Innovation Council Fund, and Prime Movers Lab.

• South Korea has ascended to become the world's 6th-largest stock market, overtaking India, which has dropped to 7th place. • The shift is driven by an AI-led rally that pushed the Kospi and Taiwan's markets to record highs, while India's Nifty 50 experienced a decline.

• Indian smartphone brand Ai+ issued a public statement asserting that "trust must be earned every single day" following a controversial tech investigation. • The company claimed it is "learning and evolving" and has implemented improvements, though it failed to directly address allegations regarding rebranded hardware and Chinese-linked apps.

• Rising Middle East tensions are pushing oil prices higher, sparking concerns over potential stagflation and economic growth disruptions. • Arnab Das warns that markets may have underestimated the risk of supply chain shocks, particularly regarding potential disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz.