German Firms to Submit Separate EU Bids for AI Data Centre, Report Says

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Several major German companies — Deutsche Telekom, Ionos, and the Schwarz Group’s IT subsidiary — plan to submit separate bids to the European Union for funding to build an AI data processing centre, according to Germany’s Tagesspiegel newspaper.

The European Commission has announced plans to allocate $20 billion to support the construction of AI data centres aimed at helping Europe catch up with the U.S. and China in artificial intelligence capabilities.

Under the current German government coalition agreement, Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative party and the Social Democrats have prioritized having at least one of these AI centres located in Germany.

In May, Deutsche Telekom revealed it had partnered with SAP, Ionos, and the Schwarz Group to jointly seek EU funding for an “AI gigafactory” — a specialized facility designed to meet the massive computing demands of AI. However, the Tagesspiegel report noted that SAP is no longer involved in the bid.

SAP did not comment on the bidding process itself but said it is not pursuing a role as operator or investor in AI gigafactories. Instead, SAP aims to contribute as a technology and software provider to future AI data centre projects in Germany and Europe.

Ionos told Reuters that the expression of interest being submitted to Brussels this Friday is an initial step, with a formal application planned later this year alongside partners.

The Schwarz Group declined to confirm whether it will submit a separate bid, stating that if a German consortium is formed, all relevant parties will be invited to contribute to creating the fastest, most reliable, and most convincing AI gigafactory.

Deutsche Telekom did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.

Texas Instruments to Invest $60 Billion in U.S. Chip Manufacturing Amid Political Pressure

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Texas Instruments (TI) announced plans on Wednesday to invest over $60 billion to expand its semiconductor manufacturing facilities in the United States. This move comes amid ongoing pressure from the Trump administration to reshore the country’s semiconductor supply chain.

The Biden administration finalized a $1.61 billion subsidy for TI in December to support the construction of three new facilities, part of the broader $52.7 billion CHIPS and Science Act. TI’s investment plan includes building or expanding seven chip-making plants across Texas and Utah, with two new sites planned in Sherman, Texas. The company said this investment would create 60,000 jobs, calling it the largest foundational semiconductor manufacturing investment in U.S. history.

TI expects to spend up to $40 billion on its Sherman operations and approximately $21 billion on facilities in Utah and other parts of Texas. While no exact timeline was provided, TI confirmed its long-term capital expenditure plans remain unchanged.

Unlike AI-focused chipmakers Nvidia and AMD, TI specializes in analog chips used in everyday electronics such as smartphones, cars, and medical devices. This gives TI a broad client base, including Apple, SpaceX, and Ford.

The $60 billion investment follows similar announcements from other semiconductor companies. For example, Micron recently revealed it would increase its U.S. investment by $30 billion, bringing its total planned spending to $200 billion.

Some analysts interpret these spending announcements as efforts to gain favor with former President Donald Trump, who has threatened to block the CHIPS Act funding and impose tariffs on semiconductor imports.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick praised the investment, stating it would support “foundational semiconductors that go into the electronics people use every day” and sustain U.S. chip manufacturing for decades.

TI’s announcement also includes previously allocated funds for facilities already under construction or scaling up production.

Apple Explores Using AI to Accelerate Chip Design, Says Executive

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Apple is exploring the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) to speed up the design of its custom chips, a senior hardware technology executive revealed during a recent speech.

Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware technologies, spoke last month in Belgium while receiving an award from Imec, a semiconductor research and development group that collaborates with leading chipmakers worldwide.

In his speech, Srouji traced Apple’s journey in chip design from the introduction of the first A4 chip in the iPhone back in 2010 to the latest processors powering Mac desktop computers and the Vision Pro headset. He emphasized that using the most advanced design tools is essential to meet the growing complexity of Apple’s chips.

He highlighted the importance of electronic design automation (EDA) software, developed by companies like Cadence Design Systems and Synopsys, which are increasingly integrating AI technologies into their platforms. According to Srouji, generative AI has strong potential to boost productivity by enabling more chip design work in less time.

Srouji also reflected on Apple’s bold strategic decisions, especially the 2020 transition of its Mac computers from Intel processors to its own Apple Silicon chips. The move involved no fallback plans or partial rollouts, reflecting Apple’s commitment to fully owning the chip design and software integration process.

“Moving the Mac to Apple Silicon was a huge bet for us. There was no backup plan, no split-the lineup plan, so we went all in, including a monumental software effort,” Srouji said.