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This is the daily record across four areas, with the voices' opinions marked as opinion. Every item is graded Verified or Reported and states what it does not test, and the weekly email and the monthly issue are drawn from it.

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IQM agrees Nasdaq SPAC merger, becoming Europe's first listed quantum firm Finland's IQM agreed to merge with US shell company Real Asset Acquisition Corp to list American Depositary Shares on Nasdaq at a USD1.8 billion pre-money valuation plus USD134 million in PIPE financing, keeping operations in Finland and Munich. Industry, investment and R&DCompute and infrastructure VerifiedEditor-read Five European telcos demo pan-European federated Edge Continuum at MWC26 Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefonica, TIM and Vodafone federated their edge cloud environments into what they call Europe's first pan European Edge Continuum, built on the EU funded IPCEI CIS platform and running in lab and pre production environments. Compute and infrastructure VerifiedAI-drafted EU aviation cybersecurity rule Part-IS becomes binding across airlines Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/203, EASA's Part-IS, became applicable across the EU to airlines, maintenance organisations, training bodies and air navigation providers, requiring a formal information security management system for aviation safety risks. Policy and law VerifiedAI-drafted US tells Commission it opposes EU Buy European defence procurement rules The US State Department and Department of Defense told the Commission's consultation on revising its Defence Procurement Directive that Washington opposes European preference rules, threatening to review Buy American waivers granted to nineteen member states. Policy and lawDefence and space ReportedAbroadEditor-read UK, France, Germany, Italy and Poland launch LEAP low-cost air defence programme The UK, France, Germany, Italy and Poland launched LEAP (Low-Cost Effectors and Autonomous Platforms), a joint E5 programme to develop and mass-produce cheap interceptors and counter-drone systems, with a first deliverable targeted for 2027. Defence and spaceIndustry, investment and R&D VerifiedAI-drafted Rheinmetall wins Bundeswehr order for 274 CT-025 turrets on Luchs 2 vehicle Rheinmetall confirmed an order, signed in early February 2026 by GDELS for the Bundeswehr's Luchs 2 vehicle, worth a mid three-digit million-euro sum, covering 274 CT-025 unmanned turrets, Oerlikon KBA 25mm cannon and simulators, delivered by 2031. Defence and space VerifiedAI-drafted MARA nears 64% takeover of EDF's sovereign cloud unit Exaion MARA France, backed by Nasdaq listed MARA Holdings, said all conditions precedent were met for it to hold 64% of Exaion, EDF Pulse Ventures' sovereign cloud and AI compute unit; EDF stays a minority shareholder and client; closing due within days, terms undisclosed. Industry, investment and R&DCompute and infrastructure VerifiedAI-drafted GlobalConnect begins EUR11.9 million Kattegat subsea cable to Denmark GlobalConnect began construction of a EUR 11.9 million subsea cable across the Kattegat linking Lerkil, Sweden to Saeby, Denmark, with EUR 5.9 million from the EU's Connecting Europe Facility, targeting service by the end of 2027. Compute and infrastructure VerifiedEditor-read Fincantieri raises EUR 500 million in share placement, lifting free float to about 36% Fincantieri placed 32,588,445 new shares, 10 percent of its capital, in an accelerated bookbuild raising about EUR 500 million. The company said the placement broadens its institutional shareholder base, raises the free float to about 36 percent and adds financial flexibility for its business plan. Defence and spaceIndustry, investment and R&D ReportedEditor-read MicroAlign secures EUR2.5 million EIC Accelerator grant for quantum fibre arrays Eindhoven photonics firm MicroAlign secured a EUR 2.5 million EIC Accelerator grant plus an equity component to industrialise nanometre precision fibre array manufacturing for photonic quantum computers. Industry, investment and R&DCompute and infrastructure VerifiedAI-drafted Ireland publishes national Digital and AI Strategy with new AI Office Ireland published "Digital Ireland: Connecting our People, Securing our Future," 90 actions across five pillars, creating an AI Office of Ireland and an AI regulatory sandbox for SMEs, and targeting full public service digitalisation by 2030. Policy and lawIndustry, investment and R&D ReportedEditor-read Greece's Intracom Defense wins over USD 108 million in new Raytheon Patriot contracts Greek firm Intracom Defense said Raytheon, an RTX business, awarded it new Patriot air and missile defence contracts exceeding USD 108 million, extending IDE's role as a component supplier inside Raytheon's global supply chain. Defence and space VerifiedAI-drafted EDRi: US visa bans and reports pressure Dutch enforcement of the DSA EDRi member Bits of Freedom, with Justice for Prosperity, cites a US House Judiciary report of 3 February 2026 and late December 2025 US visa bans on five Europeans tied to DSA enforcement, calling it foreign interference in EU digital sovereignty. Policy and law VerifiedOpinionAI-drafted ECIPE's Bauer: CJEU copyright case is a binary choice for European AI ECIPE's Matthias Bauer argues a pending CJEU ruling on AI training and copyright is a binary choice that will decide whether Europe stays a location for frontier AI development or becomes a consumer of AI built elsewhere. Policy and law VerifiedOpinionAI-drafted DigitalEurope: EU Grids Package underfunds digitalisation for data centres DigitalEurope welcomes the Commission's European Grids Package for backing grid enhancing technologies, but says its EUR 1.2 trillion investment estimate to 2040 still leaves distribution level digitalisation, which underpins data centre capacity, underfunded. Compute and infrastructurePolicy and law VerifiedOpinionAI-drafted CEPA's Landsbergis: Europe must forge its own strategy, not await US Former Lithuanian foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis wrote in CEPA that Europe must set its own strategic course rather than wait on Washington, citing its exclusion from Ukraine talks and urging Europe to press its own transatlantic agenda. Defence and space VerifiedOpinionAbroadAI-drafted CEPA's Cytera: Europe should target next-generation chips, not legacy fabs CEPA's Christopher Cytera argues Europe should target chip niches like silicon carbide and design rather than legacy fabrication, citing the EU Chips Act's over EUR 43 billion mobilised and EUR 2.2 billion for STMicroelectronics's Sicily plant. Industry, investment and R&D VerifiedOpinionAbroadAI-drafted AQT and Scaleway agree to put Austrian quantum computer on sovereign cloud Austrian firm AQT and French cloud provider Scaleway agreed to make AQT's 12-qubit IBEX Q1 trapped ion computer, based in Innsbruck, remotely accessible through Scaleway's sovereign cloud on scheduled weekly windows; commercial terms undisclosed. Compute and infrastructure VerifiedAI-drafted EIC Accelerator selects 61 start-ups and SMEs for EUR467 million in support The European Innovation Council selected 61 start-ups and SMEs from 17 EU and associated countries, including quantum firms SemiQon and MicroAlign, for a proposed EUR467 million in blended grant and equity support, with agreements due within three months. Industry, investment and R&D VerifiedEditor-read EDA's SABUVIS II project completes European underwater drone swarm trials The EDA's SABUVIS II project, EUR 3.7 million led by Poland with Germany, Portugal and Slovenia, concluded after four years having validated coordinated swarm movement and cross-manufacturer interoperability among biomimetic underwater drones. Defence and space VerifiedEditor-read Sateliot and PLD Space sign first commercial MIURA 5 launch contract for two satellites Spanish operator Sateliot signed a commercial contract with PLD Space for a dedicated MIURA 5 launch of two Trito satellites (about 160 kg each) in 2027: the first fully Spanish private space mission spanning manufacture, launch, operations and sale. Value undisclosed. Defence and spaceIndustry, investment and R&D VerifiedAI-drafted EU Council adopts second batch of SAFE loans for eight member states The Council of the EU formally adopted a second batch of SAFE defence loans for Estonia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Finland. Defence and spacePolicy and law ReportedAI-drafted Rheinmetall's Seasnake naval gun wins first NATO order: Sweden buys EUR 63 million Rheinmetall will supply Sweden's navy with eight Seasnake 30 remote naval guns for Combat Boat 90 craft under a framework deal worth about EUR 63 million, with an option for 29 more systems. First delivery due February 2028; Sweden is the first NATO buyer. Defence and space VerifiedAI-drafted Pasqal delivers Italy's first neutral atom quantum computer to CINECA French firm Pasqal delivered a 140 plus qubit neutral atom quantum computer to CINECA at the Bologna Technopole, co-funded by Italy's Ministry of University and Research and EuroHPC, for integration with the Leonardo supercomputer. Compute and infrastructure VerifiedAI-drafted Mistral AI agrees to acquire Paris cloud platform Koyeb, its first acquisition Mistral AI agreed to acquire Paris based cloud platform Koyeb, its first ever acquisition, to build in house serverless deployment and inference infrastructure for Mistral Compute. Terms undisclosed; completion subject to closing conditions. Compute and infrastructureIndustry, investment and R&D VerifiedAI-drafted Ireland launches I-C3 national semiconductor competence centre Ireland launched I-C3, its national semiconductor competence centre, coordinated by Tyndall National Institute with UCD, MCCI and MIDAS Ireland, co-funded by Enterprise Ireland and the EU Chips Joint Undertaking; funding amount undisclosed. Compute and infrastructureIndustry, investment and R&D VerifiedAI-drafted EUSPA signs Thales Alenia Space to build central platform for EU GNSS The EU Agency for the Space Programme signed a framework contract with Thales Alenia Space to build the EGNSS Service Demonstrator, a centralised platform for testing and rolling out Galileo and EGNOS satellite navigation services. Industry, investment and R&DDefence and space VerifiedAI-drafted EIC Pathfinder awards EUR3 million to VTT led Super ICQ quantum consortium The European Innovation Council awarded EUR 3 million under its Pathfinder programme to Super ICQ, a VTT led consortium including Lancaster University, to develop superconducting control circuits for scalable quantum computers. Industry, investment and R&DCompute and infrastructure VerifiedAI-drafted DigitalEurope's Bonefeld-Dahl: AI Act delay must not replace real reform DigitalEurope director general Cecilia Bonefeld-Dahl warns lawmakers not to let the AI Act's urgent delay substitute for fixing unresolved flaws in the omnibus, citing incomplete standards, overlapping conformity rules and heavy Data Act and Cyber Resilience Act burdens. Policy and law VerifiedOpinionAI-drafted DigitalEurope urges splitting AI omnibus into delay and reform tracks DigitalEurope's Julien Chasserieau and Bianca Manelli propose splitting the AI omnibus into a fast-tracked delay and a separate reform, urging sectoral integration of AI rules, legacy clauses, GDPR-aligned data governance and dropping duplicate CE marking for software. Policy and law VerifiedOpinionAI-drafted European Parliament disables built-in AI features on lawmakers' devices The European Parliament's IT department disabled built in AI assistant features, including tools from Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthropic, on MEPs' and staff's corporate tablets and phones, saying it could not guarantee the security of data sent to the vendors' servers. Policy and law ReportedAI-drafted Starmer tells Munich conference Europe must spend, deliver and coordinate more UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the Munich Security Conference Europe must "spend more, deliver more, and coordinate more" on hard power, citing GBP 500 million in fresh UK air defence support for Ukraine and a pending warship deal with Norway. Defence and space VerifiedOpinionEditor-read Canada joins EU SAFE defence fund as first non-European participant The EU and Canada signed a SAFE participation agreement at the Munich Security Conference, letting Canadian content make up to 80 percent of any SAFE funded defence procurement against an initial EUR 10 million Canadian contribution, Canada being the first non-European participant. Policy and lawDefence and space VerifiedAI-drafted Poland's Sejm passes law to receive EUR 43.7 billion in SAFE defence loans Poland's Sejm passed, 236 to 199, legislation creating a state bank BGK financial instrument to receive and channel EUR 43.7 billion in EU SAFE defence loans, with over 80 percent earmarked for domestic industry. Defence and spacePolicy and law ReportedEditor-read Commission and EuroHPC JU launch Frontier AI Grand Challenge for a European model The Commission and EuroHPC JU launched the Frontier AI Grand Challenge on 13 February 2026, inviting a European team to build a frontier AI model of at least 400 billion parameters; the winner gets up to 2.5 percent of EuroHPC's compute capacity for a year, applications close 13 April 2026. Industry, investment and R&DCompute and infrastructure VerifiedEditor-read Onodrim Industries raises EUR 40 million seed for European defence tech Amsterdam based Onodrim Industries raised EUR 40 million in seed funding, led by Founders Fund, Lakestar and General Catalyst, to build defence manufacturing, sensing and networked systems for European border protection. Industry, investment and R&DDefence and space VerifiedAI-drafted Germany's BSI and Schwarz Digits agree sovereign cloud cooperation Germany's federal cyber agency BSI and Schwarz Digits agreed a strategic cooperation to jointly develop sovereign cloud solutions for federal and state administration, including a zero trust architecture built on open source technology. Compute and infrastructurePolicy and law VerifiedAI-drafted Macron tells EU leaders joint borrowing is the only way to fund sovereignty push Ahead of the EU leaders' retreat at Alden Biesen, President Macron said the EU is under-indebted next to the US and China and called for common eurobond borrowing to fund roughly EUR 1,200 billion a year in green, digital, defence and security investment. Industry, investment and R&DPolicy and law ReportedOpinionEditor-read EDA runs nine nation Arctic drone trial in Norway ahead of Italy demonstration EDA's Combat Unmanned Ground Systems project ran a ten day Arctic trial in Rena, Norway from 2 to 12 February, testing autonomous drone swarms with Kongsberg and Estonian firm Milrem Robotics equipment, with nine states involved before a final demonstration in Italy this autumn. Defence and space VerifiedEditor-read SWP Berlin's Cyber Activity Balance 2025 finds no joint EU attribution in 2025 SWP Berlin's Bendiek, Hemmelskamp and Rottinger report that EU directed cyberattacks fell in number through 2025 yet struck more organisations, and that member states made not a single joint attribution, exposing a coordination gap. Policy and law ReportedOpinionAI-drafted ECIPE paper: cloud resilience needs exit rights and portability, not isolation ECIPE's Matthias Bauer and Dyuti Pandya argue cloud resilience rests on preserving exit, portability and multi cloud choice across the lifecycle, and that portable licensing beats localisation mandates as EU policy. Compute and infrastructurePolicy and law VerifiedOpinionAI-drafted CEPA's Murphy: Europe pursues autonomy without severing US tech ties CEPA's Ronan Murphy writes that hardening European opinion on the US, friction over the DSA and DMA, and diversification toward India and Mercosur show Europe seeking reduced dependence on US tech without a full break, ahead of the Munich Security Conference. Policy and law VerifiedOpinionAbroadAI-drafted Quantum Systems secures EUR 150 million financing from European banks German drone maker Quantum Systems secured EUR 150 million in long-term debt financing from the European Investment Bank (EUR 70 million), Commerzbank, Deutsche Bank and KfW, to fund industrial scaling in Europe, months after acquiring Fernride. Defence and spaceIndustry, investment and R&D VerifiedAI-drafted EuroHPC and Germany switch on 54-qubit Euro-Q-Exa quantum computer at LRZ Garching EuroHPC JU and Germany started operation of Euro-Q-Exa, a 54-qubit IQM quantum computer at LRZ Garching, funded with EUR 10 million from EuroHPC JU and EUR 15 million from the German federal and Bavarian state governments. Compute and infrastructure VerifiedAI-drafted First four-booster Ariane 64 launches 32 Amazon Leo satellites from Kourou Arianespace flew the four-booster Ariane 64 for the first time (mission VA267/LE-01), lifting 32 Amazon Leo satellites to about 465 km. The variant carries some 20 tonnes, twice the two-booster Ariane 62, the first of 18 Ariane 6 launches booked for Amazon's constellation. Defence and space VerifiedAI-drafted GMV's EU GOVSATCOM Hub goes operational, linking five member states' satellites GMV said its EUR 107 million EU GOVSATCOM Hub, run with Indra and Hisdesat, is now operational, giving member states encrypted satellite communications under European control from eight satellites across five states, ready to integrate IRIS2. Defence and space VerifiedAI-drafted European Parliament approves EUR90 billion Ukraine loan, EUR60 billion for EU industry Parliament approved a EUR90 billion loan package for Ukraine for 2026 and 2027, reserving EUR60 billion of defence procurement funding for Ukrainian, EU and EEA/EFTA industry, with derogations only when equipment is unavailable there; Council adoption is still required. Policy and lawDefence and space VerifiedEditor-read Commission unveils EUR 400 million plan to counter drones, eyes 5G detection The Commission published its Action Plan on Drone and Counter-Drone Security, mobilising EUR 400 million for member states to buy detection and counter-drone technology, and proposed turning next-generation 5G antennas into radar-like drone sensors. Compute and infrastructureDefence and space ReportedEditor-read EDPB and EDPS warn Digital Omnibus would narrow GDPR's personal data definition The EDPB and EDPS adopted a joint opinion warning that the Digital Omnibus's entity relative redefinition of personal data goes beyond a technical GDPR amendment and would narrow protection across the GDPR, ePrivacy Directive, Data Act and NIS2. Policy and law VerifiedEditor-read DigitalEurope: 75 European CEOs urge urgent EU tech investment and procurement Ahead of the EU leaders' retreat, DigitalEurope publishes a call endorsed by over 75 European CEOs for a stronger EU mandate on investment, joint procurement and market integration, and completion of the Capital Markets Union. Industry, investment and R&DPolicy and law VerifiedOpinionAI-drafted EU Council clears EUR 38 billion in first SAFE defence loans for eight states Council of the EU cleared EUR 38 billion in SAFE loans for Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Spain, Croatia, Cyprus, Portugal and Romania; loans require at least 65% EU/EEA-EFTA/Ukraine content in purchased equipment. Bulgaria's share: EUR 490 million. Defence and spacePolicy and law ReportedAI-drafted Orbex enters administration, ending UK's Prime small-launch rocket programme UK rocket developer Orbex filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators on 11 February 2026, after Series D fundraising and takeover talks failed, halting development of its Prime small-launch vehicle and cutting around 150 jobs. Defence and space ReportedAI-drafted Mistral AI to invest EUR 1.2 billion in EcoDataCenter's Sweden AI data centre Mistral AI agreed to invest EUR 1.2 billion in an AI focused data centre at EcoDataCenter's Borlange site, its first outside France, for 23 megawatts of Nvidia Vera Rubin compute; expected operational by 2027. Compute and infrastructureIndustry, investment and R&D VerifiedAI-drafted German cabinet approves law naming Bundesnetzagentur as AI Act regulator Germany's federal cabinet approved the draft KI-MIG law implementing the EU AI Act domestically, naming the Bundesnetzagentur as market surveillance authority, coordination point and EU contact point, ahead of the August 2026 compliance deadline. Policy and law ReportedAI-drafted Norway's KSAT signs SpaceX launch contract for Hyperion relay satellites Norway's KSAT signed a launch contract with SpaceX for two 300kg class Hyperion satellites, its first in-orbit test of the HYPER relay constellation concept, targeting a rideshare launch in late 2027. Defence and space VerifiedEditor-read ECIPE's Pandya: Europe conflates tech sovereignty with self-sufficiency ECIPE's Dyuti Pandya argues EU policymakers conflate technological sovereignty with self-sufficiency, warning that localisation mandates such as the proposed Industrial Accelerator Act echo failed schemes like France's Plan Calcul rather than building real capability. Policy and law VerifiedOpinionAI-drafted SatService (Calian) awarded Bundeswehr Q/V-band satellite ground station contract SatService GmbH, the German satcom engineering arm of Canada-listed Calian Group, was awarded a contract by Germany's Federal Ministry of Defence, via Bundeswehr University Munich, to build a 4 metre Q/V-band ground station for GEO SATCOM training. Value undisclosed. Defence and space VerifiedAI-drafted SWP Berlin paper says EU lacks delivery capacity on African raw materials SWP Berlin's Meike Schulze argues the EU's 15 critical raw material partnerships and Global Gateway lack delivery capacity against China and Gulf rivals, urging joint project pipelines, dedicated MFF funding and EIB offtake deals worth EUR 2 billion a year. Industry, investment and R&DPolicy and law VerifiedOpinionAI-drafted ECIPE urges EU to model DMA review on Japan's narrower platform law ECIPE's Fredrik Erixon, Andrea Dugo and Dyuti Pandya argue the Commission's ongoing Digital Markets Act review should borrow Japan's narrower, effects-based Mobile Software Competition Act rather than keep the EU's broad, categorical rulebook. Policy and law VerifiedOpinionAI-drafted Slovenia launches SLAIF, its EUR 135 million EuroHPC AI Factory project Slovenia formally launched SLAIF, its EuroHPC AI Factory, with Prime Minister Golob attending; the EUR 135 million project, co-financed with the EU, will replace the Vega supercomputer with a new AI system by 2027 and open access to industry. Compute and infrastructureIndustry, investment and R&D ReportedAI-drafted Germany discloses EUR 481.1 million paid to Microsoft for licences in 2025 Answering a written question from Green MP Rebecca Lenhard, the German government confirmed the federal administration paid Microsoft EUR 481.1 million for licences in 2025, up from EUR 347.4 million in 2024 and EUR 274.1 million in 2023. Policy and law ReportedAI-drafted France opens tender to move Health Data Hub off Microsoft Azure France's health, digital and civil service ministries opened a UGAP Public Cloud tender for a SecNumCloud qualified host to replace Microsoft Azure for the Health Data Hub, with award due by end of March 2026 and full migration targeted for end of 2026. Policy and lawCompute and infrastructure ReportedAI-drafted Commission and imec open NanoIC, EU Chips Act's largest pilot line, in Leuven The Commission and imec opened NanoIC, the Chips Act's largest pilot line, in Leuven: EUR 2.5 billion total, EUR 700 million EU funds, EUR 700 million from national governments and EUR 1.1 billion from ASML and industry. Compute and infrastructureIndustry, investment and R&D VerifiedAI-drafted EIC selects 40 Transition projects to move EU research toward market The European Innovation Council selected 40 Transition projects, from 611 applications, for grants of up to EUR 2.5 million each, helping EU funded Pathfinder and ERC research reach market readiness across 17 countries. Industry, investment and R&D VerifiedAI-drafted Commission finds TikTok's addictive design preliminarily breaches the DSA The Commission preliminarily found TikTok's infinite scroll, autoplay and recommender design breach the DSA's risk mitigation duties for minors. Commissioner Virkkunen said the DSA "makes platforms responsible for the effects they can have on their users." Policy and law VerifiedEditor-read Swiss chip startup Chiral raises USD 12 million for post-silicon manufacturing ETH Zurich and Empa spinoff Chiral raised USD 12 million in seed funding led by Crane Venture Partners, with Quantonation, HCVC and Founderful, to scale its robotic system for integrating nanomaterials into silicon wafers. Industry, investment and R&DCompute and infrastructure VerifiedAI-drafted France launches new phase of Je choisis la French Tech, aims to double sales by 2027 Ministers Anne Le Henanff and David Amiel launched a new phase of "Je choisis la French Tech," naming procurement ambassadors in every ministry, aiming to double the roughly EUR 1 billion in public and private purchases pledged from French startups since 2023, by 2027. Policy and lawIndustry, investment and R&D ReportedEditor-read European Commission pilots Matrix protocol as sovereign backup to Microsoft Teams The European Commission confirmed it is piloting an internal communication tool built on the open source Matrix protocol as a "complement and backup" to Microsoft Teams, part of efforts to use more sovereign digital solutions. Compute and infrastructure ReportedEditor-read European DIGITAL SME Alliance: Cybersecurity Act revision needs sovereignty ambition European DIGITAL SME Alliance says the Cybersecurity Act revision helps SMEs via EU wide certification aligned with NIS2 and the CRA, but argues certification stays narrowly technical and should add sovereignty and dependency criteria. Policy and law VerifiedOpinionAI-drafted ECIPE's Dugo maps EU's EUR 740 billion cumulative R&D gap against the US ECIPE's Andrea Dugo finds the EU's cumulative corporate R&D shortfall against the US reached around EUR 740 billion by 2024, EUR 114 billion in that year alone, and argues Europe lacks mechanisms to scale innovative firms into leaders. Industry, investment and R&D VerifiedOpinionAI-drafted French PM circular directs state bodies to prioritise sovereign digital solutions Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu signed circular n°6519/SG telling state bodies to favour pooled internal tools, then French, then European private solutions before non-European ones, and to weigh sovereignty and security in digital purchases. Policy and law VerifiedAI-drafted Commission allocates EUR 347 million for European submarine cable security The Commission allocated EUR 347 million under the Connecting Europe Facility for submarine cable security: EUR 60 million for repair equipment, EUR 20 million for monitoring tools and EUR 267 million reserved for 13 priority cable projects. Compute and infrastructureDefence and space VerifiedAI-drafted Commission amends EDF Work Programme, adds STEP defence pillar and Ukraine path The Commission amended the EDF Work Programme for 2026, adding a fourth STEP investment area for Defence Technologies, simplifying procedures for SMEs, and formally paving the way for Ukraine to become an EDF-associated country; STEP has channelled near EUR 24 billion since March 2024. Industry, investment and R&DDefence and space VerifiedEditor-read EDRi: Commission's Digital Networks Act guts EU net neutrality rules EDRi member epicenter.works argues the Commission's Digital Networks Act, proposed 21 January 2026, would strip net neutrality legal safeguards, let providers charge for fast lanes and fold independent regulator BEREC into a Commission-controlled office. Policy and law VerifiedOpinionAI-drafted CEPA's Riedenstein: joint government pressure beats solo tech enforcement CEPA's Clara Riedenstein argues coordinated pressure from the EU, UK, Brazil, Malaysia, Indonesia and California forced Grok to restrict its image generation faster than isolated DSA or antitrust enforcement has managed against other platforms. Policy and law VerifiedOpinionAbroadAI-drafted CEPA's Nolan urges EU to scale Pay by Bank against Visa and Mastercard CEPA's Padraig Nolan argues Europe should build on existing Pay by Bank infrastructure, linking over 400 million accounts, rather than build new rails, noting Visa and Mastercard processed roughly 61 per cent of euro area card transactions in 2022. Policy and law VerifiedOpinionAbroadAI-drafted Kembara reaches EUR 750 million first close for European deep tech Kembara announced a EUR 750 million first close toward a EUR 1 billion target for what it calls Europe’s largest dedicated deep tech growth fund, backing Series B and C companies in robotics, clean energy, space and dual use technology. Industry, investment and R&D VerifiedAI-drafted Deutsche Telekom opens Germany's first industrial AI factory in Munich Deutsche Telekom put Germany's first industrial AI factory into operation in Munich, built in six months with Nvidia and Polarise, offering up to 0.5 exaflops on roughly 10,000 Blackwell GPUs; customers Agile Robots and PhysicsX already live. Compute and infrastructure VerifiedAI-drafted Sanchez unveils plan to ban under 16s from social media, curb platforms At the World Governments Summit in Dubai, PM Pedro Sanchez announced plans to ban under 16s from social networks, hold platform managers legally liable, criminalise algorithmic amplification, and track a "Hate and Polarisation Footprint," alongside five other states. Policy and law VerifiedEditor-read Norway launches INSURE project to build AI early warning system for subsea cables Norway's INSURE consortium (UiT Arctic University, Telenor, Statnett, the Coastal Administration and Coast Guard) held its Research Council funded kickoff meeting in Tromso on 3 February to build an AI early warning system for undersea cables and pipelines. Compute and infrastructureDefence and space ReportedEditor-read CEPA authors urge Europe to stand up its own military operations centre CEPA fellows G. Alexander Crowther and Jahara Matisek argued Europe should build a Multidomain Operations Center in Ukraine, starting with an Airpower Allied Command, to gain operational autonomy from NATO's consensus-based structure and a shifting US focus. Defence and space VerifiedOpinionAbroadAI-drafted Sweden opens mandatory NIS2 registration portal for its cybersecurity law Sweden's Myndigheten for civilt forsvar opened the mandatory registration portal for the Cybersakerhetslagen, its NIS2 transposition in force since 15 January 2026, starting the registration clock for essential and important entities. Policy and law ReportedEditor-read EDA contracts French consortium to build sovereign EU defence data platform The European Defence Agency has contracted CEA, Cloud Data Engine and Sopra Steria to build DAIDS, a federated EU defence data space and sovereign military cloud meant to end reliance on foreign technology for military data exchange by 2029 to 2030, Euractiv reported. Policy and lawDefence and space ReportedEditor-read Deutsche Telekom says T Cloud Public reaches 80 percent hyperscaler parity Deutsche Telekom's T-Systems said its sovereign T Cloud Public now matches 80 percent of hyperscalers' core functionality, serves over 4,000 enterprise and public sector customers, and targets full feature parity by the end of 2026. Compute and infrastructure VerifiedAI-drafted Swiss foreign ministry says cloud safeguard works only partially as 2025 audit surfaces RTS published a previously unreported summer 2025 audit at the Swiss foreign ministry: documents classified as internal sat in Microsoft’s cloud, and the ministry says the safeguard against classified uploads works only partially. Parliament has voted CHF 250 million for a Swiss Government Cloud. Policy and lawCompute and infrastructure ReportedEditor-read Poland signs System SAN anti-drone wall contract with Kongsberg and PGZ Poland's Ministry of National Defence signed a contract for the System SAN anti-drone wall with Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa and Norway's Kongsberg. Defence and spaceIndustry, investment and R&D ReportedAI-drafted ECIPE paper argues Europe should copy Taiwan's chip ecosystem model, not subsidies ECIPE's Andrea Dugo and Dyuti Pandya argue Europe should copy Taiwan's ecosystem building rather than subsidies alone, urging clustered R&D, systemic talent policy and state enabled, not state led, semiconductor industrial strategy to build sovereign capability. Compute and infrastructureIndustry, investment and R&D VerifiedOpinionAI-drafted EIB Group's security and defence financing quadruples to over EUR 4 billion The EIB Group said its security and defence investments quadrupled to more than EUR 4 billion in 2025, close to 5% of its EU financing, within a record EUR 100 billion in total annual commitments, and it aims to hold that share in 2026. Industry, investment and R&DDefence and space VerifiedAI-drafted Telefonica brings ten of planned 17 sovereign edge nodes online Telefonica said ten of its planned 17 sovereign edge computing nodes across Spain, including Madrid, Barcelona and Bilbao, were commercially live, calling it Europe's leading edge network, with the rest due later in 2026. Compute and infrastructure VerifiedEditor-read EU-funded SECURE project opens EUR 5 million call to help SMEs meet CRA The EU funded SECURE consortium, led by Italy's ACN across seven member states, opened its first call on 28 January 2026: EUR 5 million in grants up to EUR 30,000 each to help SMEs meet the Cyber Resilience Act, from a EUR 22 million Digital Europe Programme budget. Policy and lawIndustry, investment and R&D VerifiedEditor-read ESMC holds topping-out ceremony at Dresden chip fab office building ESMC, the TSMC, Bosch, Infineon and NXP joint venture, held a topping-out ceremony at its Dresden site, completing the structural frame of its office building as work continues on the EUR 10 billion, 40,000-wafer-a-month fab. Compute and infrastructureIndustry, investment and R&D ReportedEditor-read European Defence Fund opens first cascade funding call for SMEs The EDF-backed MaJoR project opened its first cascade call for SMEs and newcomers on maintenance, joining and repair technology for defence platform durability, offering up to EUR 60,000 each to up to 30 winners plus a business development programme. Defence and spaceIndustry, investment and R&D VerifiedAI-drafted SWP's Eric Ballbach argues Germany should deepen defence industrial ties with South Korea SWP's Eric Ballbach urges Germany to deepen defence industrial ties with South Korea, its second largest arms supplier after the US, citing Hanwha Aerospace's planned ammunition and missile plants in eastern Germany and calling for NATO equivalent export status. Defence and spaceIndustry, investment and R&D VerifiedOpinionAI-drafted UK launches GBP 20 million fund to help SMEs win MoD contracts The UK Ministry of Defence launched a GBP 20 million fund, run via UK Defence Innovation, giving small UK owned firms with little prior defence work accelerated access to MOD contracts in areas including AI, robotics and precision weapons. Industry, investment and R&DDefence and space VerifiedAI-drafted Dutch privacy regulator warns minister on digital sovereignty risk The Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens sent a letter dated 28 January 2026 to the economic affairs minister warning that reliance on non-European cloud providers threatens continuity of vital processes like benefit payments. Policy and law ReportedAI-drafted Virkkunen tells Euronews all tech firms, including US ones, must follow EU digital rules Tech sovereignty commissioner Henna Virkkunen told Euronews that American, Asian and European firms alike "have to follow the rules" in the EU, as Brussels pursued its Digital Services Act probe into X's Grok chatbot. Policy and law VerifiedOpinionAI-drafted Germany contracts POLARIS Spaceplanes to build reusable hypersonic testbed Germany's BAAINBw equipment office contracted POLARIS Spaceplanes to build and flight test HYTEV, a fully reusable, fighter jet sized, two stage hypersonic vehicle for defence research, with a small satellite launch variant, targeting flight readiness by late 2027. Defence and space VerifiedEditor-read Poland says its SAFE allocation reaches nearly PLN 200 billion, the EU's largest Poland's government said its approved SAFE allocation reaches nearly PLN 200 billion, the largest of any member state, with 80 percent of contracts going to Polish firms and 36 percent to satellites, cyber, drones and anti-drone technology. Defence and spacePolicy and law VerifiedEditor-read Commission withholds Hungary's SAFE defence loan over procurement risk The Commission left Hungary's EUR 17.4 billion SAFE defence loan plan out of its approved list, with Commissioner Piotr Serafin saying disbursement cannot start while procurement and conflict-of-interest conditions are unmet. Defence and spacePolicy and law ReportedEditor-read European Commission and Parliament award EUR 5 million launch innovation prize At the European Space Conference the Commission and Parliament paid five European firms, including SENER, ArianeGroup, Pangea, Alpha Impulsion and DeltaOrbit, EUR 950,000 each under a Parliament-funded prize for game-changing launch innovation. Defence and spaceIndustry, investment and R&D VerifiedAI-drafted EU brings sovereign GOVSATCOM satellite communications system online Commissioner Andrius Kubilius told the European Space Conference that GOVSATCOM operations had started, pooling capacity from eight satellites of five member states to give all EU states secure, encrypted satellite communication built and operated in Europe. Defence and space ReportedEditor-read Romania publishes EUR 9.53 billion SAFE procurement list for 21 projects Defence Minister Radu Miruta unveiled 21 SAFE-funded projects worth EUR 9.53 billion of Romania's EUR 16.6 billion loan, ten joint with other states and eleven national, covering helicopters, missiles, armoured carriers and air defence. Defence and spaceIndustry, investment and R&D VerifiedEditor-read Hamburg summit pledges NATO linked protection for North Sea cables At the Hamburg North Sea Summit on 26 January 2026, ten North Sea states, the European Commission and NATO agreed under the Hamburg Declaration to strengthen protection of subsea cables, including internet cables, with NATO linked patrols. Compute and infrastructureDefence and space ReportedEditor-read ESA to reimburse retooling costs for IRIS2 Low-LEO industrial suppliers ESA expanded IRIS2's low Low Earth Orbit segment and agreed to reimburse suppliers' non-recurring engineering costs for retooling to constellation-scale production, widening the pool of industrial contributors beyond the prime contractors. Defence and spaceIndustry, investment and R&D ReportedEditor-read EDRi calls for swift EU action as Commission probes X's Grok chatbot EDRi welcomed the European Commission's DSA investigation into X's Grok chatbot over non-consensual sexualised images, urging a swift probe, a dissuasive fine, and for EU institutions to reduce their presence on X in favour of alternative platforms. Policy and law VerifiedOpinionAI-drafted CCIA Europe publishes position paper on the EU's AI Omnibus CCIA Europe's position paper on the AI Omnibus called for flexibility in choosing conformity assessment bodies and said the planned August 2026 AI generated content marking deadline is too narrow for implementation challenges. Policy and law ReportedOpinionAI-drafted EU Commission approves second SAFE defence loan wave for eight states, EUR 74 billion The European Commission approved a second wave of SAFE loans for Estonia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Finland, worth up to EUR 74 billion, opening the way for first disbursements once loan agreements are signed. Defence and spacePolicy and law VerifiedAI-drafted SPD proposes digital tax on US platforms to fund German media The SPD presidium, led by finance minister Lars Klingbeil, resolved on 26 January 2026 to push for a digital tax on high-reach online platforms and a local investment duty on streaming services, to fund German journalism. Policy and law ReportedAI-drafted France to replace Teams and Zoom with sovereign tool Visio by 2027 Minister David Amiel announced on 26 January 2026 that state services will generalise the sovereign videoconferencing tool Visio, already used by 40,000 agents and rolling out to 200,000, replacing Teams and Zoom by 2027. Policy and lawCompute and infrastructure VerifiedAI-drafted France launches Observatoire de la souverainete numerique High Commissioner Clement Beaune and digital minister Anne Le Henanff launched an Observatoire de la souverainete numerique on 26 January 2026 to map France's critical digital dependencies, with first findings due spring 2026. Policy and law VerifiedAI-drafted Finland to build maritime centre to monitor undersea cable threats Finland's Border Guard said it will build a maritime surveillance centre, using seabed sensors and AI traffic analysis, with other Baltic states and the European Commission, to catch ships that damage undersea cables, and will seek EU funding for it. Compute and infrastructureDefence and space ReportedAI-drafted EuroHPC signs EUR 129 million contract to add AI power to MareNostrum 5 EuroHPC JU signed a EUR 129 million procurement contract with a consortium led by Fsas Technologies and Telefonica to add GPUs, AI accelerators, faster interconnects and storage to MareNostrum 5 in Barcelona, half funded through the Digital Europe Programme. Compute and infrastructure VerifiedAI-drafted UK Ministry of Defence extends Palantir data contract worth GBP 240.6 million The MoD signed a three-year, GBP 240.6 million enterprise agreement with Palantir UK, more than three times its predecessor deal, for data analytics across classifications, awarded without competition under a defence exemption. Defence and spaceCompute and infrastructure ReportedEditor-read DigitalEurope calls for EU unity and urgent sovereignty investment DigitalEurope, quoting Director-General Cecilia Bonefeld Dahl, urges the EU and member states to stay united, invest urgently in technological sovereignty and simplify digital regulation, pointing to the 70 CEOs who signed its European AI and critical tech declaration. Industry, investment and R&D VerifiedOpinionAI-drafted Czechoslovak Group raises EUR 3.8 billion in Euronext Amsterdam listing Czech defence manufacturer Czechoslovak Group began trading on Euronext Amsterdam, raising EUR 3.8 billion, 15.2% of its share capital, at a EUR 25 billion valuation, in what Euronext described as the largest defence sector listing to date. Industry, investment and R&DDefence and space VerifiedAI-drafted Virkkunen tells Davos Europe's tech dependence can be weaponised At Davos, Commission Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen said Europe's low start-up to scale-up rate, 8 percent against 60 percent in the US, feeds dependence on foreign technology, and argued sovereignty needs one market, not 27 rulebooks. Policy and law ReportedOpinionEditor-read CEPA analysis: Europe's new cyber rules target China and the US CEPA's Ieva Ilves argued the EU's Cybersecurity Act revision, aimed at cutting reliance on Chinese and American vendors, will likely fail on both counts given member state resistance to central authority and no funding for European alternatives. Policy and law VerifiedOpinionAbroadAI-drafted UK signs GBP 453.5 million contract with BAE and Leonardo for Typhoon ECRS Mk2 radar The UK Ministry of Defence signed a GBP 453.5 million production contract with BAE Systems, Leonardo UK and Parker Meggitt to build the ECRS Mk2 AESA radar for RAF Typhoons, sustaining about 1,300 jobs, part of a package MoD billed as half a billion pounds with a second Typhoon contract. Defence and spaceIndustry, investment and R&D VerifiedAI-drafted European Parliament adopts resolution to cut dependence on US tech giants MEPs adopted a non-binding resolution on European technological sovereignty by 471 votes to 68, with 71 abstentions, citing over 80 percent reliance on non-EU digital products and calling for a Cloud and AI Development Act. Policy and law VerifiedAI-drafted Fortum and DayOne agree to develop up to 560 MW data centre in Finland Fortum signed a site development agreement with data centre operator DayOne to support zoning and grid connection for a phased development of up to 560 megawatts in Nurmijarvi, Finland, a project also requiring a Finnish defence ministry permit. Compute and infrastructure ReportedAI-drafted Orbex signs letter of intent for possible sale to The Exploration Company UK small launch vehicle maker Orbex signed a non-binding letter of intent with Munich based The Exploration Company to explore an acquisition, opening exclusive talks after Orbex's Series D fundraising stalled. Industry, investment and R&DDefence and space ReportedEditor-read European Commission funds three studies into mobile responsive launch The European Commission awarded three ten-month feasibility studies, led by PwC France, GMV Aerospace and Defence, and Sirius Space Services, worth a combined EUR 1.89 million, into a mobile responsive launch system for rapid satellite replenishment. Defence and space ReportedEditor-read Commission proposes Digital Networks Act to replace EU telecoms rulebook On 21 January 2026 the Commission proposed the Digital Networks Act, replacing the European Electronic Communications Code and other telecoms rules to cut fragmentation and limit dependency on non-European network suppliers. Policy and lawCompute and infrastructure VerifiedAI-drafted CNES picks Loft Orbital to lead France's sovereign radar demo satellite CNES, on behalf of France's DGA, selected Loft Orbital as prime contractor for DESIR, a sovereign radar imaging demonstrator, with Thales Alenia Space building the payload and TEKEVER France the antenna; entry into service is targeted for 2029. No value was disclosed. Defence and spaceIndustry, investment and R&D VerifiedAI-drafted France clears sale of EDF's Exaion computing unit to US miner Mara Holdings France's DG Tresor sent Mara Holdings a letter of engagement on 20 January backing the sale of 64% of EDF's HPC and blockchain unit Exaion for USD 168 million, exposing its EDF Transfer platform to the US Cloud Act. Industry, investment and R&DCompute and infrastructure ReportedEditor-read DigitalEurope backs Cybersecurity Act certification reform, warns on timelines DIGITALEUROPE's Cecilia Bonefeld-Dahl welcomed the Commission's Cybersecurity Act revision making certification "a more practical tool", but called for voluntary schemes aligned with international standards and harmonised timelines across CRA, NIS2 and GDPR. Policy and law VerifiedOpinionAI-drafted CCIA Europe warns against exclusionary amendments to EU Cybersecurity Act CCIA Europe's Mitchell Rutledge welcomed the Commission's anchoring of Cybersecurity Act certification in technical criteria, but warned member states and MEPs may add protectionist "sovereignty" amendments excluding non-EU certifiers. Policy and law ReportedOpinionAI-drafted EU launches EUR 50 million Photonics for Quantum chip pilot line The Photonics for Quantum pilot line launched with EUR 50 million, split evenly between EU Chips Joint Undertaking funding and national co-funding from 12 countries, to scale 29 partners' capacity to manufacture quantum photonic chips. Compute and infrastructureIndustry, investment and R&D VerifiedAI-drafted EuroHPC JU mandate expanded to cover AI gigafactories and quantum tech A regulation amendment published 20 January 2026 widens EuroHPC JU's mandate to fund AI Gigafactories and a new quantum technologies pillar, building on 12 supercomputers procured and 19 AI Factories already operating. Policy and lawCompute and infrastructure VerifiedAI-drafted Commission proposes Cybersecurity Act revision with 5G high-risk supplier phase-out The Commission proposed a Cybersecurity Act revision and NIS2 amendment on 20 January 2026, requiring high-risk suppliers to be phased out of 5G networks within three years and raising ENISA's budget by more than 75%. Policy and law VerifiedAI-drafted SpaceRise secures Europe's military Ka-band filing for IRIS2 constellation SpaceRISE, the SES, Eutelsat and Hispasat consortium building IRIS2, brought its military Ka-band capability into use through a dedicated Eutelsat low Earth orbit satellite, securing Europe's Ka spectrum filing on the constellation's orbit. Defence and space VerifiedEditor-read UK awards QinetiQ led consortium GBP 205 million Typhoon engineering support contract The UK Ministry of Defence awarded a five year, GBP 205 million Engineering Delivery Partnership contract led by QinetiQ's Aurora consortium to sustain RAF Typhoon engineering support, underpinning about 250 jobs at sites including Farnborough and Boscombe Down. Defence and spaceIndustry, investment and R&D VerifiedAI-drafted Austria adopts Industriestrategie 2035, commits EUR 2.6 billion to key tech Austria's government adopted its Industriestrategie 2035, committing EUR 2.6 billion for 2026 to 2029 across nine key technologies including AI, chips, quantum and robotics, with new apprenticeships to train the workforce. Industry, investment and R&DPolicy and law VerifiedEditor-read Eutelsat signs multi-launch deal with ArianeGroup's new MaiaSpace Eutelsat signed a multi-launch agreement with MaiaSpace, ArianeGroup's reusable micro launcher venture, to deploy and replenish its LEO constellation from 2027, adding a European launch option. No launch count or value was disclosed. Defence and spaceIndustry, investment and R&D VerifiedAI-drafted IBM launches Sovereign Core platform with European delivery partners IBM launched Sovereign Core, a Red Hat based software platform letting customers run AI and cloud workloads under local sovereign control, naming Belgium's Cegeka and Germany's Computacenter as its first European delivery partners. Compute and infrastructure VerifiedAI-drafted EDA gathers seven states and shipbuilders to shape European Combat Vessel frigates EDA convened Belgium, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain with shipbuilders to finalise requirements for the European Combat Vessel, a joint frigate family for the 2040s under their 2024 letter of intent, since no single state can build it alone. Defence and space VerifiedAI-drafted CEPA op-ed argues Europe underrates its own tech leverage over the US CEPA analyst Clara Riedenstein argues Europe holds more tech leverage than assumed, citing ASML's lithography monopoly, Merck's chip chemicals, Imec's research and SAP's reach into US government software, and urges reinforcing these strengths via a coming Chips Act 2.0 rather than protectionism. Industry, investment and R&D VerifiedOpinionAbroadAI-drafted EU Commission approves first wave of SAFE defence loans for eight states, EUR 38 billion The European Commission proposed to the Council that Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Spain, Croatia, Cyprus, Portugal and Romania receive a combined EUR 38 billion in SAFE loans, the first wave of the EU's EUR 150 billion defence borrowing instrument, to fund joint procurement. Defence and spacePolicy and law VerifiedAI-drafted EIB lends EUR 25 million to Optics11 for undersea cable sensors The European Investment Bank signed a EUR 25 million venture debt loan with Dutch firm Optics11, backed by the EU's InvestEU programme, to expand fibre-optic sensors that detect damage to undersea cables and high-voltage grids. Compute and infrastructureDefence and space VerifiedAI-drafted EIB backs Europe's first gallium production line with EUR 90 million The European Investment Bank approved EUR 90 million in financing to METLEN for what it called Europe's first EIB-backed gallium production line, at its Agios Nikolaos site in Greece, aimed at reducing EU reliance on imported gallium for chips. Compute and infrastructureIndustry, investment and R&D VerifiedAI-drafted AWS launches AWS European Sovereign Cloud, an EU-only region run from Germany AWS launched the AWS European Sovereign Cloud, a legally separate EU region in Brandenburg run exclusively by EU residents, backed by over EUR 7.8 billion of planned German investment and new Local Zones in Belgium, the Netherlands and Portugal. Compute and infrastructureIndustry, investment and R&D VerifiedAI-drafted Spain adds Madrid site to Catalonia bid for EU AI gigafactory Spain's digital minister Oscar Lopez said Madrid's San Fernando de Henares will join Catalonia's Mora la Nova site in a joint national bid for an EU AI gigafactory, a push the government said could mobilise over EUR 4 billion. Compute and infrastructure VerifiedEditor-read EU Parliament forces debate on Hungary's EUR 17.4 billion SAFE loan claim Greens backed MEPs secured a Strasbourg plenary debate, set for 20 January, questioning Hungary's request for EUR 17.4 billion under the SAFE defence loan scheme ahead of its April elections, with no rule of law conditions yet attached. Defence and spacePolicy and law ReportedEditor-read SWP's Juliana Suss argues Europe must build autonomous military space capability SWP researcher Juliana Suss argues Europe must build autonomous space capability, citing 40 years of European space spending at 15-20% of US levels and Germany's planned EUR 35 billion five-year military space investment as insufficient alone. Defence and space VerifiedOpinionAI-drafted DigitalEurope responds to EU data centre energy reporting scheme review DIGITALEUROPE responded to EUDCEAR's second technical report on the EU data centre energy efficiency rating scheme, backing a KPI based approach but opposing minimum performance standards while baseline data remains insufficient. Policy and lawCompute and infrastructure VerifiedOpinionAI-drafted CEPA op-ed says Pax Silica chip alliance too vague to counter China CEPA's Christopher Cytera argues the US led Pax Silica chip alliance is structurally weak, noting Taiwan, the Netherlands and Germany, whose EUR 5 billion backed TSMC Dresden fab sits outside full membership, despite holding critical chokepoints. Compute and infrastructurePolicy and law VerifiedOpinionAbroadAI-drafted UK Ministry of Defence expands cloud deal with US firm Oracle The UK Ministry of Defence expanded its collaboration with Oracle, agreeing to use Oracle Cloud Infrastructure for defence workloads. Neither party disclosed a contract value or duration, and no distinct sovereign cloud or data residency terms were announced. Defence and spaceCompute and infrastructure ReportedAI-drafted Thales Alenia Space to supply 179 electronic units for 27 Ariane 6 launchers Thales Alenia Space Belgium won an order to build 179 electronic units for the thrust vector actuation systems of 27 Ariane 6 launchers, supplied as a subcontract to Belgium's SABCA, sustaining its role in Europe's launcher supply chain. Defence and spaceIndustry, investment and R&D VerifiedAI-drafted Helsing acquires Spanish ground robotics maker Keybotic Munich based defence AI group Helsing acquired Keybotic, a Barcelona start-up that builds the Keyper autonomous legged robot for industrial inspection, adding ground robotics to its land, air and maritime portfolio. Industry, investment and R&DDefence and space ReportedEditor-read Finland releases Fitburg cargo ship after cable sabotage inquiry, remands crew member Finnish police lifted the seizure of cargo ship Fitburg, held since New Year's Eve over Elisa and Arelion's damaged Baltic Sea cable, remanding one crew member in custody and releasing the vessel under Border Guard escort on 12 January. Compute and infrastructureDefence and space VerifiedAI-drafted