Morning Scan

SoftBank is writing nine-figure checks in Europe, Nvidia is about to put its silicon in your laptop, and AI's political spending is getting personal. Communities in Utah are learning that "data center economy" comes with asterisks.

€75B — SoftBank's pledged investment in French AI data centers, making it the largest single European infrastructure bet by a Japanese firm. (Financial Times)

Connected World

SoftBank Pledges Up to €75B for AI Data Centers in France

The first tranche alone — €45B to build 3.1GW in Hauts-de-France by 2031 — makes Masayoshi Son's Vision Fund losses feel like a distant memory. (Financial Times)

Utah Governor Issues New Data Center Rules After 9-Gigawatt Project Backlash

Spencer Cox's executive order sets a "higher bar for development" — a rare case of a governor tapping the brakes on a sector most states are racing to attract. (The Next Web)

Microsoft and Nvidia to Unveil First Nvidia SoC-Powered Windows PCs at Computex

Surface and Dell devices are reportedly in the lineup, which means Nvidia is about to compete on Qualcomm's home turf in the AI PC race. (Axios)

Samsung's OpenAI Chip Plans May Have Hit a Roadblock

If the deal stalls, it's a significant blow to Samsung Foundry's bid to establish itself as a credible alternative to TSMC for AI silicon. (SamMobile)

Machines & Minds

Anthropic and OpenAI Super PACs Are Fighting Nasty in the Midterms

The AI policy war has moved from Capitol Hill to Democratic primaries, and both sides are spending to shape whoever writes the rules next. (New York Times)

Anthropic Quietly Cuts Its Unauthorized Reseller Blacklist in Half

Halving the list from eight to four after investor panic suggests the original notice was either overcalibrated or a negotiating tactic. (Bloomberg)

Microsoft Is Threatening Legal Action Over Zero-Day Disclosure

A researcher using the handle Nightmare Eclipse is being threatened for going public with exploits — and the security community is not pleased. (The Verge)

Connected World

Meta Is Building an AI Pendant — and a "Wearables for Work" Subscription

The pendant puts Meta in direct conversation with Limitless and a growing category of always-on ambient AI devices, with enterprise monetization already sketched out. (The Next Web)

Joby Flew Its Air Taxi Over Manhattan, But You Still Can't Ride It

The demo was impressive enough; the FAA certification timeline is less so — a recurring theme for every eVTOL startup that's ever flown near a skyline. (New York Times)

Kenyan Court Blocks Trump Administration from Sending Ebola-Exposed Americans There

A foreign court is now the backstop for a U.S. public health decision — a sentence that would have read as satire eighteen months ago. (Ars Technica)

Snap Alumni Launch "Ghost Angels" Fund to Back the Next Wave of Social Media

Twenty ex-Snapchat employees pooling capital to bet on social's next chapter is either well-timed pattern recognition or very on-brand nostalgia. (TechCrunch)