While the high-security corridors of Washington and Berlin are occupied with a frantic, transactional debate over NATO burden sharing and the fallout of the Iran blockade, a far more profound rupture is occurring in the quiet streets of the Rhineland-Palatinate. President Trump announced last week that the United States will remove 5,000 troops from Germany, possibly as the beginning of a larger drawdown. Pentagon planners anticipate a phased reduction over the next 12 months that could see the total U.S. presence in Germany drop significantly. Some analysts believe that the administration ultimately favors rotating troops in and out of Europe rather than permanently basing them there. Americans have been stationed in Germany by the tens of thousands since the end of World War II. Some 50,000 Americans'including military personnel, civilian employees, and their families'populate the Kaiserslautern Military Community, which includes Ramstein Air Base. The remainder of the U.S. presence is concentrated in strategic hubs such as Wiesbaden, the headquarters of the U.S. Army Europe and Africa, and the training grounds of Grafenwoehr and Vilseck in Bavaria, where thousands of soldiers maintain a rotational readiness. The initial 5,000-troop reduction will likely be drawn primarily from forces stationed around Vilseck and Grafenwoehr....
By OpenAI COO's own admission last February, 'we have not yet really seen AI penetrate enterprise business processes.' But for enterprise software giant SAP, whose stock has dropped significantly in 2026 in part from the 'SaaSpocalypse,' the issue is still front and center. On Monday, the European heavyweight announced its intention to acquire German AI startup Prior Labs for an undisclosed amount. Pending regulatory approval, SAP plans to invest '1 billion (approximately $1.16 billion) into the business over the next four years to grow it into an AI lab focused on structured data ' the tables and databases where enterprise information typically sits. SAP declined to disclose how much it spent on the acquisition itself, but sources told Pathfounders that this was a healthy exit: an 'almost all cash' deal, with well over half a billion dollars in cash up front for the startup's founders ' Frank Hutter, Noah Hollmann, and Sauraj Gambhir. The trio co-founded Prior Labs just 18 months ago with a focus on tabular foundation models (TFMs) ' AI models that can make predictions from data that sits in tables and databases. This is potentially a better fit for enterprises than language models. It is certainly a better fit for SAP, whose widely used software products for accounting, HR, procurement and expense management rely on its database....
The deal, which has yet to close, will value the newly formed company at $20 billion, the FT reported. Schwarz Group, one of Aleph Alpha's top backers, will also invest $600 million in Cohere's Series E round, which is expected to close later this year, CNBC reported. A press release announcing the Cohere-Aleph Alpha union said one goal of the merger was to give businesses and governments an alternative to these dominant tech players, one that offers greater independence and control over their data. It also hopes to combine the talent pool across Canada and Germany to create a 'transatlantic AI powerhouse.' StrictlyVC kicks off the year in SF. Register now for unfiltered fireside chats and VC insights with leaders from Uber, Replit, Eclipse, and more. Plus, high-value connections that actually move the needle. Tickets are limited....
The projects, with combined capacity of 789MW / 1,628MWh, are under construction across Germany and are expected to become operational by 2028. Around 70% of the capital structure will be financed through debt. The transaction marks AllianzGI's first direct equity investment in a utility-scale battery storage portfolio. The assets were developed by Kyon Energy, a TotalEnergies subsidiary, and TotalEnergies will remain operator. The deal reflects growing institutional appetite for grid-scale storage, as Germany accelerates renewable deployment and seeks greater system flexibility. Battery infrastructure is increasingly viewed as critical to managing grid congestion and balancing intermittent power generation. For TotalEnergies, the transaction allows capital recycling within its integrated power strategy while retaining operational control. For AllianzGI, the investment strengthens its exposure to energy transition infrastructure in its domestic market. Edouard Jozan, Head of Private Markets at Allianz Global Investors, said the projects will 'help reinforce the country's energy resilience, accelerate the energy transition, and deliver long-term value for our clients,' highlighting the firm's long-term infrastructure allocation strategy....
