Amazon Invests in Louisiana AI Hub, EU Excludes Chinese Entities, and Nvidia's Record Profits

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Welcome to the latest edition of Silicon Brief, where we delve into the dynamic world of AI chips and data centers. This week, we spotlight significant investments and collaborations shaping the AI landscape. Amazon is making waves with its new data center in Louisiana, aimed at bolstering AI infrastructure and local economic growth. Meanwhile, Cisco and Sharon AI have opened Australia's first Cisco Secure AI Factory in Sydney, equipped with NVIDIA Blackwell Ultra GPUs to enhance AI processing capabilities.

In other news, the European Union has taken a decisive step by banning Chinese entities from participating in its AI and chip programs, citing security concerns. On the technological front, DeepSeek has raised eyebrows by utilizing Nvidia's Blackwell chip for its AI model, despite US export controls. Additionally, Intel and SambaNova have joined forces to deliver high-performance AI inference solutions, while AMD and Meta are set to deploy a massive 6 gigawatts of GPUs to enhance AI infrastructure. Stay tuned as we explore these developments and more in the world of AI and data centers.

Amazon Invests in Louisiana Data Center for AI

Amazon is investing in a new data center in Northwest Louisiana, as announced by Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO). This project aims to enhance AI infrastructure, boost local economic growth, and improve utility services in the region. Read more

Cisco and Sharon AI Open AI Factory in Australia

On February 23, 2026, Cisco and Sharon AI announced the opening of Australia's first Cisco Secure AI Factory in Sydney, featuring 1,024 NVIDIA Blackwell Ultra GPUs. This facility aims to enhance secure AI infrastructure and supports Australia's National AI Plan. Read more

SK Hynix to Boost AI Memory Chip Production

SK Hynix Chairman Chey Tae-won announced plans to increase production of AI memory chips to meet the growing demand from global data centers. Read more

EU Excludes Chinese Entities from AI and Chip Programs

The European Union has decided to ban Chinese organizations from its Horizon Europe grants for critical technologies due to security concerns, effective from 2026. Read more

DeepSeek Uses Nvidia's Blackwell Chip Amid US Export Concerns

Chinese AI startup DeepSeek has utilized Nvidia's Blackwell chip for training its new AI model, raising potential issues with U.S. export controls. The U.S. government is worried about the access to advanced AI technology by Chinese firms. Read more

Intel and SambaNova Announce AI Collaboration

Intel and SambaNova have announced a strategic collaboration to develop high-performance AI inference solutions using Intel Xeon-based infrastructure. Read more

AMD and Meta Expand Partnership for AI Infrastructure

AMD and Meta have announced a multi-year partnership to deploy up to 6 gigawatts of AMD Instinct GPUs to enhance Meta's AI infrastructure, starting in 2026. Read more

SWI Stoneweg Icona Group Invests €1 Billion in Polarise

The SWI Stoneweg Icona Group has announced a €1 billion investment to acquire a majority stake in Polarise, aiming to enhance its AI infrastructure across Europe. Read more

Gujarat Partners with L&T Vyoma for AI Data Center

The Gujarat Government has partnered with Larsen & Toubro Vyoma to establish a 250 megawatt AI Data Center in Dholera, with a significant investment aimed at promoting clean energy and job creation. Read more

Hyundai Invests $6.9 Billion in AI, Hydrogen, and Robotics Hub

Hyundai Motor Group is set to invest 10 trillion won in South Korea's Saemangeum area to develop an AI data center, green hydrogen facilities, and a robot manufacturing plant. This initiative aims to boost local employment and economic growth with support from the Saemangeum National Industrial Complex. Read more

Nvidia Achieves Record Profits Due to AI Demand

In its latest earnings report, Nvidia announced record profits of $68 billion for the quarter, driven by its data center business and increased demand for AI compute. The company is also planning a $30 billion investment in OpenAI. Read more

AMD and Nutanix Partner for AI Infrastructure Platform

On February 25, 2026, AMD and Nutanix announced a strategic partnership to develop an open AI infrastructure platform, with a $250 million investment from AMD to integrate their technology into Nutanix's solutions. Read more

YOFC Introduces New Fibre Solution at MWC Barcelona 2026

YOFC has launched a hollow-core fibre solution at MWC Barcelona 2026, designed to boost AI infrastructure by enhancing data transmission speeds and efficiency. Read more

Ciena Unveils Vesta 200 Optical Engine for AI Data Centers

Ciena has launched the Vesta 200 6.4T CPX optical engine, aimed at enhancing AI workloads in data centers with improved power efficiency and performance. Read more

Transvia Group and RT-One Collaborate on AI Data Centers in Brazil

RT-One has partnered with Transvia Group to secure funding for AI data center projects in Brazil, focusing on campuses in Uberlândia and Maringá, with a budget of 15 billion reais. Read more

SoftBank Unveils Telco AI Cloud Vision

On March 2, 2026, SoftBank Corp. announced its Telco AI Cloud vision, aiming to create next-generation social infrastructure for the AI era by leveraging its telecommunications foundation. Read more

CoreWeave Reports Q4 2025 Revenue and Loss

CoreWeave, an AI-focused cloud infrastructure provider, reported $1.57 billion in revenue for Q4 2025, but also faced a $452 million loss and provided lower revenue guidance for Q1 2026. Read more

Ericsson and T-Mobile Test AI RAN Software on NVIDIA

Ericsson and T-Mobile have successfully tested Ericsson's Cloud RAN software on NVIDIA AI infrastructure, demonstrating its portability and flexibility for mobile operators. Read more

La Trobe University Gets Grant for Quantum-AI Cooling System

La Trobe University has received a AUD 1.1 million grant from the Australian Federal Government to develop a quantum-AI cooling system for data centres. The project aims to optimize energy use and emissions with industry partners like NEXTDC and Fujitsu. Read more

Axelera AI Secures $250M for AI Chip Expansion

Dutch startup Axelera AI has secured over $250 million in funding to advance its AI chip technology in Europe. The investment will aid in expanding manufacturing and developing software tools. Read more

Rapidus Secures 267.6 Billion Yen for 2nm Semiconductor Production

Rapidus Corporation has received 267.6 billion yen in funding from the Japan government and private companies to develop 2nm semiconductors by 2027, with contributions from Canon, Fujitsu, and Sony Group. Read more

FiberLight Invests $500 Million in West Texas Infrastructure

FiberLight LLC has announced a $350 million investment to expand its fiber-optic network in West Texas, totaling nearly $500 million. This expansion supports AI and data center operations with 1,400 new route miles of fiber. Read more

Oak Ridge National Lab Launches Data Centers Institute

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory has created the Next Generation Data Centers Institute to tackle the rising power demand from AI data centers in the U.S., focusing on energy management and grid reliability. Read more

EdgeConneX to Build AI Data Center in Sweden

EdgeConneX plans to develop a new data center campus in Skellefteå, Sweden, with a capacity of up to one gigawatt. The facility will focus on supporting AI and cloud computing needs using renewable energy. Read more

MARA Holdings and Starwood Capital to Develop AI Data Centers

MARA Holdings Inc. has partnered with Starwood Capital Group to convert Bitcoin mining sites into AI and cloud service infrastructure, aiming for up to 2.5 gigawatts of capacity. Read more

Equinix and CPP Investments Acquire atNorth for $4 Billion

Equinix and CPP Investments have announced their acquisition of atNorth, a Nordic data center provider, for $4 billion. The acquisition aims to enhance AI infrastructure across the Nordic region. Read more

Emerald AI Secures $22.7 Million for Data Center AI Solutions

Emerald AI, based in Arlington County, has raised $22.7 million from 20 investors to enhance its AI solutions aimed at reducing energy consumption in data centers. The funding round includes major investors like Nvidia and Google executive Jeff Dean. Read more

Firmus Secures AI Contract for Melbourne Data Center

Firmus has signed a multi-year agreement with a global hyperscale customer to provide dedicated AI infrastructure in Melbourne, involving approximately 18,400 Nvidia GB300 GPUs. This is part of an initiative to establish AI factories across Australia. Read more

Yotta Data Services to Build $2 Billion AI Hub with Nvidia GPUs

Yotta Data Services in India plans to build a $2 billion AI hub using Nvidia chips, addressing the rising demand for GPUs. The company also intends to go public next year, holding a significant share of India's GPU capacity. Read more

Dell Stock Rises 10% on AI Server Demand

Shares of Dell Technologies increased by 10% after reporting a significant revenue boost driven by AI infrastructure demand. Read more

Nokia to Deploy AI Solutions in Telefónica's Data Centers

Nokia has secured an agreement to implement AI-ready network solutions in Telefónica's Edge data centers across Spain. This move aims to bolster the country's digital infrastructure and support AI training and digital services. Read more

Duos Technologies Appoints New CEO and Signs $200M LOI for NVIDIA GPU Cluster

Duos Technologies Group, Inc. has appointed Doug Recker as CEO, effective April 1, 2026. The company also signed a letter of intent with Hydra Host for a NVIDIA GPU cluster, expected to generate $176 million in revenue over three years. Read more

Google Acquires Land in Finland for Data Center

The municipality of Vaala has announced that Google has acquired a 900-hectare site for developing a data center, marking an expansion of its infrastructure in Finland. Read more

Florida Senate Approves AI Data Center Regulation Bill

The Florida Senate has passed a bill that mandates companies to disclose plans for AI data center locations and expansions, aiming to protect residents from high utility costs and giving local governments control over land development. Read more

Supermicro Expands AI Solutions for Telecom at MWC 2026

At the Mobile World Congress 2026, Supermicro announced its expanded support for AI-RAN and Sovereign AI solutions, aiming to enhance telecom network efficiency and scalability. Read more

Samsung and AMD Enhance AI Network Solutions

Samsung Electronics and AMD have announced advancements in their collaboration to enhance AI-powered network solutions, moving towards commercial deployments. This includes developments in 5G Core, virtualized RAN, and private networks. Read more

Micron Opens Semiconductor Facility in Gujarat

Micron Technology, Inc. has inaugurated its semiconductor assembly and test facility in Sanand, Gujarat, India, marking a significant $2.75 billion investment to boost India's semiconductor manufacturing capabilities. Read more

Nvidia to Launch New AI Chip for Faster Inference

Nvidia is preparing to introduce a new processor at its GTC developer conference, aimed at enhancing AI processing speed. The chip, developed with startup Groq, targets improving efficiency for clients like OpenAI. Read more

Google Partners with Form Energy for 100-Hour Battery

Google has signed a $1 billion deal with Form Energy to implement a 100-hour iron-air battery for a data center in Minnesota, enhancing energy storage with wind and solar power. Read more

DeepSeek Gives Huawei Early Access to V4 AI Model

DeepSeek, a Chinese AI lab, has granted exclusive early access to its V4 AI model to domestic suppliers like Huawei, while withholding it from US chipmakers such as Nvidia. Read more

ASML's Next-Gen EUV Tools Ready for Production

ASML Holding has announced that its next-generation extreme ultraviolet (EUV) machines are ready for high-volume production. This advancement is set to impact the chip industry by enabling companies like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing and Intel to produce more powerful and efficient chips. Read more

Xference Launches AI Infrastructure in Italy After Funding

AI startup Xference has introduced a new distributed infrastructure from its Bergamo data center following a €700,000 pre-seed funding round. The company plans to offer a beta service to select users and expand across Italy and the EU. Read more

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Amazon Invests in Louisiana AI Hub, EU Excludes Chinese Entities, and Nvidia's Record Profits - Silicon Brief #58

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