Outside Paris

• 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. • This investment is part of a broader strategic effort to establish a "digital backbone for the future," reducing Europe's reliance on non-EU AI infrastructure.

• Investment firm Ardian has joined the AION consortium in a €10 billion bid to construct an AI gigafactory in France. • The project is part of a broader European Union strategy to enhance AI compute capabilities and reduce technological dependence on the US and China. • If France secures the official EU gigafactory designation, it may attract significant investment and talent, potentially overshadowing competing infrastructure ambitions in Germany, the Netherlands, and the Nordics.

Incident in the city’s 8th arrondissement reportedly involved a homemade explosive deviceFrench police stopped an apparent bomb attack outside a US bank in Paris on Saturday when they arrested a man about to set off a homemade explosive device, officials and sources close to the case said.The incident occurred at roughly 3.30am in front of a Bank of America building in the city’s 8th arrondissement, a couple of streets away from the Champs-Élysées. Continue reading...