German AI startup Aleph Alpha released Kolibri, a German‑optimised, sovereign AI model that offers efficient, compliant large‑language‑model capabilities for high‑stakes government and industrial use cases.
Cohere’s chief AI officer warned that without developing AI capabilities locally in Europe, the company could be squeezed by US and Chinese pressures, underscoring the strategic importance of European AI infrastructure for the startup.
Aleph Alpha, once seen as Germany’s AI hope, and Canada’s Cohere have completed their merger, creating a joint AI venture with new leadership and a new headquarters, in a deal valued at around €500 million.