SoftBank to Invest Up To 75 Billion Euros on AI Data Centers in France

Title: AI Infrastructure, Developer Costs, and Wearables Lead News

01SoftBank to Invest Up To 75 Billion Euros on AI Data Centers in France

SoftBank Group announced a commitment to develop and operate five gigawatts of AI data center capacity in France, with an investment of up to 75 billion euros (about $87.5 billion). The goal, the firm said, is to develop and operate up to 5 gigawatts of additional data center capacity. The commitment is SoftBank's largest AI infrastructure investment to date in Europe, representing a significant expansion of the company's global compute footprint.

The announcement signals a major shift in global AI compute geography, positioning France as a potential European hub for AI infrastructure development. According to The Information, the investment represents Europe's largest AI infrastructure investment to date. The move comes as AI companies worldwide race to secure computing capacity to train and deploy large language models.

02GitHub Copilot's New Token-Based Billing Sparks Developer Pushback

Microsoft has shifted GitHub Copilot from its traditional subscription model to token-based billing, triggering significant backlash from the developer community. Developers have criticized the new pricing structure as unpredictable and potentially more expensive than the previous flat-rate subscription. The change marks what some are calling "the end of the golden age of Microsoft's Github Copilot".

The token-based model charges developers based on the amount of AI processing their code requests consume, rather than a fixed monthly fee. This represents a significant change in how developers pay for AI-powered development tools. Industry observers note the shift reflects broader efforts by Microsoft to align Copilot costs with actual compute usage, but developers argue the new model creates billing uncertainty that makes budgeting difficult for teams of all sizes.

03Meta Plans AI Pendant as Part of Ambitious Wearables Expansion

Meta Platforms plans to start testing an AI pendant in the next year as part of an ambitious roadmap for wearable devices aimed at reversing the huge losses in its hardware division. According to an internal memo from Alex Himel, Meta's vice president of wearables, the strategy aims to drive more AI interactions through physical devices. The pendant represents Meta's latest attempt to find a breakthrough consumer AI hardware product beyond smartphones.

The internal roadmap also outlines plans to significantly expand Meta's selection of AI glasses and add a business-focused service called "Wearables for Work." As TechCrunch reports, Meta seems to be making big bets on AI-powered hardware despite the division's financial struggles. The company has faced mounting losses in its Reality Labs hardware division but continues to invest in wearables as a potential growth area for AI integration into daily life.

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