Microsoft invests in Italy, 4.3 billion for AI – News – Ansa.it

Microsoft will invest 4.3 billion euros over the next two years to promote artificial intelligence infrastructure and cloud capacity in Italy. And to close the deal, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni receives the president of the American tech giant Brad Smith at Palazzo Chigi, welcoming him with “satisfaction” the work “that will contribute to strengthening the role of the -Italy as a digital hub in the Mediterranean”.

This is another piece in the puzzle of agreements – and contracts – that the head of government accelerated first at the G7 meetings in Borgo Egnazia. Then last week at meetings with several ‘Big Tech’ CEOs in New York culminating in an awards ceremony at the Atlantic Council with Elon Musk, who is rumored to be interested in provides satellite coverage in some areas via Starlink. And with a large activity that may concern a major name in American finance, BlackRock, according to some explanations is interested in playing a role in the privatization of FS. The meeting with Smith – explains Palazzo Chigi – “is part of a series of contacts between President Meloni and representatives of the innovation sector and allowed an exchange of ideas about the prospects for technological development is global IT, with special reference to world development. artificial intelligence, the opportunities to be seized and the dangers to be avoided”. Almost at the same time, Smith himself, in a note from Microsoft, explains the meaning of the work: “by expanding access to our technology and promoting the spread of skills in the field of artificial intelligence, We want to provide the Italian Government, businesses and their workers with the tools to create an AI-driven economy that creates jobs and wealth.”

The question of development and jobs for Italy is involved in the problems of traditional business. And business for Big Tech giants who compete for billions in government orders and citizen data between digitization, artificial intelligence and robots. Rumors say that investment giant BlackRock would be interested in selling a new portfolio of shares in Ferrovie dello Stato. To confirm them, a note from Palazzo Chigi that follows the meeting between Meloni and CEO Larry Fink mentions “investment opportunities in the field of national transport infrastructures”. A big paradigm shift for the prime minister, who had often attacked big finance in the past and five years ago described the same rate of just 3% on multinational web companies as a “shame” . Another concrete step in the government’s strategy to focus on artificial intelligence and high technology, after the recent meeting in New York between Meloni and Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAi, then comes from Cdp Venture Capital. Which has signed a memorandum of understanding with the artificial intelligence giant to strengthen Italy’s position in the development and use of Artificial Intelligence, “thus promoting the innovation of the national ecosystem”. Then there is Elon Musk, with a personal relationship consisting of affectionate exchanges with the prime minister and against that also the landing of Starlink, the satellite system built by SpaceX to access the Internet through a satellite link, to connect them to bring to a high speed. in the most difficult areas to reach through the fixed network.

By accessing Pnrr assets. And, for Musk, a reliable interlocutor who may be able to influence in Brussels, where the EU Commission has targeted his social media Pichai and Greg Brown from Motorola. At stake are access to data and a potentially strategic political transition, with Europe beginning to assert its ‘strategic autonomy’ over digital, AI, the social media and robots.