ARDIAN AND VERNE BUILD €5B AI DATA CENTER NEAR PARIS

The project, described as an AI "gigafactory," represents Europe's push to develop homegrown data center capacity amid intensifying global competition for AI infrastructure. The facility will support both data center operations and research capabilities. The partnership arrives as demand for AI computing power accelerates. Major law firm Kirkland & Ellis has separately agreed a multiyear deal with Palantir to develop AI tools for advising private equity firms on capital raises, signaling broader AI adoption across financial services. However, public sentiment on data center expansion remains mixed. A Public First survey found just 26% of Americans support increased data center construction—the lowest share among 15 surveyed countries including the UK, Japan, and Canada—raising questions about infrastructure development challenges in key markets. Meanwhile, AI labs including OpenAI and Anthropic continue pursuing "recursive self-improvement" technologies designed to enhance AI capabilities with minimal human intervention, though safety experts caution readiness concerns.