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Chris O'Brien + Helen O'Reilly-Durand

Headlines

🗞️ French billionaire Xavier Niel's Iliad Group is teaming up with InfraVia Capital Partners to turbocharge its data center operations across Europe. InfraVia is set to acquire a 50% stake in Iliad's data center unit, OpCore, valuing the enterprise at €860 million. This dynamic data center duo plans to pour over €2.5 billion into expanding OpCore's footprint, aiming to scale its capacity to multiple hundreds of megawatts across the continent. OpCore, with its 20-year track record, currently operates data centers in Paris, Marseille, Lyon, and Poland, serving a mix of Iliad's needs and those of hyperscalers and large corporations. This move positions Iliad to become a leading independent data center platform in Europe, capitalizing on the surging demand for cloud computing and AI infrastructure. | Iliad, Les Echos, Le Figaro, Bloomberg

🗞️ Hugging Face CEO Clément Delangue expressed concerns about the potential global spread of censorship through Chinese open-source AI models. He noted that these models often avoid sensitive topics like the Tiananmen Square massacre, aligning with Chinese government directives. Delangue warned that the widespread adoption of such models could inadvertently propagate censorship beyond China's borders. | TechCrunch

🗞️ French medtech companies Gleamer and Withings have each secured significant funding through the France 2030 initiative to advance their AI-driven healthcare solutions. Gleamer received €4.5 million to develop "OncoView," an AI tool designed to assist radiologists in interpreting oncology CT scans, aiming to enhance cancer diagnosis and monitoring. Withings obtained €20.7 million for "Project DEEP" (Device as a Health Prevention platform), which focuses on early detection and prevention of cardiometabolic diseases using advanced, non-invasive medical devices integrated with AI. These investments align with France 2030's goal to accelerate innovation in key sectors, including healthcare, by supporting projects that leverage cutting-edge technology to improve patient outcomes. | Tech.eu, Massdevice

Interviews

🗣️ Can Probabl.ai Catalyze Open-Source Innovation in Machine Learning?

In the fast-evolving landscape of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, Probabl.ai wants to be a beacon of Europe's open-source innovation ambitions.

Founded by tech veteran Yann Lechelle, the company's mission is to boost European efforts to establish sovereignty in AI. The foundation of that work: Probabl.ai is the official operator of scikit-learn, one of the most widely-used machine learning libraries globally.

Speaking at Apiday's Generation AI conference in Paris last week, Lechelle shared his analysis of Europe's competitive challenges as well as his vision for how Probabl.ai hopes to redefine the paradigms of open-source software, enterprise AI, and data science.

"AI should be a white box, not a black box," he said "It should be used on our own devices, and so you don't need to get a PhD to understand what it can do for you."

🗣️ C.Lab: How Cathay Innovation Wants to Bridge the AI Gap Between Europe and Silicon Valley

They call it a gap, but maybe chasm is a better word.

According to VC firm Cathay Innovation, the San Francisco Bay Area has attracted over $117 billion in AI-focused venture capital since 2014 - three times more than all of Europe combined during that same period.

That was part of the motivation for Venture capital firm Cathay Innovation to launch C.Lab, a strategic advisory service aimed at helping international companies navigate the artificial intelligence revolution and bridge the innovation gap between Europe and Silicon Valley.

"With the advent of AI, the ability to transform now takes precedence over disruption. Success and longevity depend on close collaboration between all stakeholders," said Cathay Innovation Co-founder and CEO Denis Barrier, during a presentation last week at the firm's Paris offices. "We've always favored a global approach to venture capital, bringing startups together with our major industrial partners to create mutual opportunities."

AI Funding News

📇 Company: The Blockchain Group
🔍 Description: The Blockchain Group incubates, builds, develops operationally, and strategically invests in internet and technology companies globally. The company is listed on Euronext Growth Paris, specialized in Data Intelligence, AI, and Decentralized Tech development.
💻 Website: http://theblockchain-group.com
📍 HQ City: Puteaux
🧗 Round: Acquired 25 Bitcoin at a cost of €0.090M for a total amount raised of €2.263M.
💰 Amount Raised: €2.26M
🏦 Investors: Soheil Sk
👨💼👩💼 Founders: Lionel Rigaud; Jean-Philippe Casadepax-Soulet
🗞️ News: https://www.boursier.com/actions/actualites/news/the-blockchain-group-augmentation-de-capital-de-2-5-me-945391.html

📇 Company: Orakl Oncology
🔍 Description: AI-powered tumor avatars to transform oncology drug development.
💻 Website: http://orakl-oncology.com
📍 HQ City: Le Kremlin-Bicêtre
🧗 Round: Seed
💰 Amount Raised: €11.0M
🏦 Investors: Bpifrance; Singular
👨💼👩💼 Founders: Diane-Laure Pagès; Gustave Ronteix
🗞️ News: https://www.maddyness.com/2024/12/03/orakl-oncology-leve-11-millions-deuros-pour-lutter-contre-les-cancers-digestifs/

📇 Company: Cilcare
🔍 Description: Leveraging advanced artificial intelligence to identify auditory biomarkers for hearing disorders
💻 Website: https://www.cilcare.com/
📍 HQ City: Montpellier
🧗 Round: Series A
💰 Amount Raised: €40M
🏦 Investors: Shionogi & Co; Sprim Global Investments; UVM Health Capital; Sofilaro; ARIS; SudPME
👨💼👩💼 Founders: Celia Belline, Marie-Pierre Pasdelou, Sylvie Pucheu
🗞️ News: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7269977417698455554/

Events

📆 The Athens Roundtable on AI and the Rule of Law | December 9, 2024 | OECD Headquarters in Paris | The convening will bring together leading AI decision-makers, with a focus on enhancing international coordination for accountability in AI governance. | Information

📆 Responsible AI Masterclasses by Impact AI | December 12, 2024| Information

📆 AI and Art: Towards a New Era of Creativity | December 10 | Nice | AI is no longer content to be a creative tool: it is becoming a cultural actor capable of generating, transforming, and inspiring new forms of expression while questioning the role of the artist, the creative process and even the definition of art. This conference offers an essential reflection on these mutations, in a quest for dialogue between technological innovation and human authenticity. | EuropIA Institute

📆 Positive AI Summit, by Positive AI | December 12, 2024 | Positive AI Summit is the first event of the Do Tank Positive AI. Created in 2022 by BCG, Orange, Malakoff Humanis, and L’Oréal, the association brings together companies that are concerned about the societal impact of AI. | Information

📆 International Conference on AI in Work, Innovation, Productivity, and Skills | December 12-13, 2024 | The OECD is leading international analysis on the productivity of firms using AI. Leading voices on artificial intelligence will convene in Paris to explore the effects of AI on employment, skills, productivity, and innovation, and how policies can effectively respond. | Register to view online

📆 Paris Open Source AI Summit, by Linagora | December 19, 2024 | Information

📆 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit | February 10-11, 2025 | Heads of State and Government, leaders of international organizations, CEOs of small and large companies, representatives of academia, non-governmental organizations, artists, and members of civil society will gather in Paris to discuss the critical policy issues surrounding AI. | Information

📆 France Digitale's AI Day 2025 | February 11, 2025 | Paris will be the AI capital of the world (at least for a week) during the AI Action Summit. With our AI Day — the official business side event of the Summit — seize this moment to meet and learn about the best in AI innovation made in Europe. | Information

📆 World AI Cannes Festival | February 13 -15, 2025 | For 3 days, the prestigious Palais des Festival of Cannes will become the world capital of AI, where decision-makers and AI innovators meet, where the most promising innovations and technologies get into the spotlight, where those who are currently building the world’s most game-changing AI strategies and use-cases will be on stages. | Registration

📆 RAISE Summit 2025 | July 8-9, 2025 | RAISE Summit is the premier event for professionals seeking to disrupt, build, and connect in the AI landscape. This summit is the ultimate destination to validate AI strategies through real-world use cases, define a winning AI playbook, and find the right partners to deliver cutting-edge solutions. | Register

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