Canadian AI firm Cohere announced a deal to acquire Germany's Aleph Alpha, creating a combined entity valued at roughly $20 billion. The transaction, pending regulatory approval, will be financed by a €500 million commitment from German retailer Schwarz Group, which will also supply its sovereign cloud platform, STACKIT. Cohere aims to position the new company as a privacy‑focused alternative for enterprises in highly regulated sectors, challenging the dominance of U.S. AI providers. Read more →