Today’s top new focuses largely on AI expansion: Mistral rakes in a 1.3 billion Euro investment in support of European AI sovereignty, while LG lands a deal to provide cooling tech for data centers in the Middle East. All of the ongoing expansion of AI data centers requires not only cooling, but power — and on that front, we have Fermi filing for an IPO intending to use nuclear to meet those power needs.
Those are the top stories, but don’t miss the ones further down today’s list, which grapple with the business case for AI infrastructure: There are massive amounts of credit involved with big AI infra bets. Will the infrastructure retain value no matter what happens with AI? Or are these massively depreciating assets that will struggle to provide any profitable return? Those are big questions which don’t seem to be getting much traction compared to the wild optimism of investors. And businesses? Well, curiously, the U.S. Census Bureau’s bi-weekly report on business trends is actually showing a slight but significant dip in AI adoption by large companies, even as smaller ones forge ahead. One blip does not a bubble burst, but it does bear watching. Let’s take stock.
Kelly Hill
Executive Editor
RCRTech
AI Infrastructure Top 3
Fermi files for U.S. IPO: Texas-based Fermi, co-founded by former Secretary of Energy/former Texas Governor Rick Perry, has filed for an IPO as it pursues plans for a massive nuclear-powered energy complex to meet rising AI power demand.
ASML fuels Europe’s AI ambition: ASML invested €1.3B in French AI firm Mistral, becoming its largest shareholder as Europe seeks stronger technological sovereignty and homegrown competition against U.S. and Chinese players.
LG backs Saudi AI hub: LG is expanding in the Middle East, signing an agreement to provide cooling tech for Datavolt’s AI data center in NEOM’s Oxagon while positioning energy efficiency and regional growth as long-term priorities.
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AI Today: What You Need to Know
Infra on credit: The AI boom is fueled by massive borrowing — $50B per quarter in private credit — raising fears of a telecom-style bubble, with soaring infrastructure costs outpacing proven profitability.
A sure bet?: AI infrastructure spending is effectively seen by some as a low-risk bet: Even if AI fizzles, data centers, hardware, and GPUs are expected to retain long-term value across computing, cloud, and future workloads.
AI use slips: Despite the AI hype, a recent Census Bureau survey showed a dip in AI adoption among large U.S. firms, with usage slipping from 14% to 12%. That marked the steepest decline since 2023; but smaller firms increased their AI use.
Nuclear startup SPAC: Nuclear start-up Deep Fission went public via a reverse merger, raising $30M to fund underground nuclear reactors aimed at safer, scalable power for data centers.
Europe, AI and sovereignty: Nvidia’s Jensen Huang has framed AI sovereignty as national sovereignty, unveiling major European partnerships and infrastructure projects, while critics warn of U.S. dominance undermining Europe’s independence.
AI and accessibility: A U.K. government study found neurodiverse employees reported higher satisfaction with Microsoft Copilot, suggesting AI tools may close workplace accessibility gaps tht traditional accommodations have missed.
Microsoft GPU deal: Microsoft signed a $17.4B deal with Nebius for global GPU infrastructure, expanding across U.S., Europe, and Israel, bolstering Nebius’s AI cloud growth and financing plans.
The laws of AI scale: AI scaling laws — spanning model, data, compute, post-training, and test-time techniques — drive massive infrastructure demands, with power now the key constraint shaping AI’s future.
Just how renewable?: Measuring renewable use in data centers is tricky: Most rely on renewable energy credits, while fewer invest in grid contributions or direct, behind-the-meter renewable sourcing.
Intel exec change-ups: Intel has unveiled a sweeping executive shake-up: Products chief Michelle Johnston Holthaus exits after 30 years. The company has formed a central engineering group and is promoting new leaders across groups.