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EU Calls Turkish Plans for Cyprus Unacceptable

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell during a press conference in Belgrade, Serbia, January 31, 2020. (AP)
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell during a press conference in Belgrade, Serbia, January 31, 2020. (AP)
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EU Calls Turkish Plans for Cyprus Unacceptable

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell during a press conference in Belgrade, Serbia, January 31, 2020. (AP)
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell during a press conference in Belgrade, Serbia, January 31, 2020. (AP)

The European Union’s top diplomat Josep Borrell voiced deep concern on Tuesday over Turkish plans for the divided island of Cyprus, calling them unacceptable.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said peace talks can take place only between “the two states” on the Mediterranean island, a position rejected by Greek Cypriots and the EU. Turkish Cypriot officials also announced plans for the potential resettlement of a small part of an abandoned Greek Cypriot suburb of Varosha.

“The High Representative of the European Union expresses his deep concern over the announcements made by (Turkish) President (Tayyip) Erdogan and Mr. (Ersin) Tatar on 20 July 2021, with respect to the fenced-off area of Varosha, which constitutes an unacceptable unilateral decision to change the status of Varosha,” Borrell said in a statement.

“The EU once again underlines the need to avoid unilateral actions in breach of international law and renewed provocations, which could raise tensions on the island and compromise a return to talks on a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus issue,” Borrell said.

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Trump Announces Private-sector $500 Billion Investment in AI Infrastructure

US President Donald Trump (L) gives remarks on artificial intelligence (AI) Infrastructure as Larry Ellison (2-L), Chief technology officer of Oracle, Masayoshi Son (2-R), CEO of SoftBank, Sam Altman (R), CEO of OpenAI look on in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 21 January 2025. EPA/AARON SCHWARTZ / POOL
US President Donald Trump (L) gives remarks on artificial intelligence (AI) Infrastructure as Larry Ellison (2-L), Chief technology officer of Oracle, Masayoshi Son (2-R), CEO of SoftBank, Sam Altman (R), CEO of OpenAI look on in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 21 January 2025. EPA/AARON SCHWARTZ / POOL
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Trump Announces Private-sector $500 Billion Investment in AI Infrastructure

US President Donald Trump (L) gives remarks on artificial intelligence (AI) Infrastructure as Larry Ellison (2-L), Chief technology officer of Oracle, Masayoshi Son (2-R), CEO of SoftBank, Sam Altman (R), CEO of OpenAI look on in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 21 January 2025. EPA/AARON SCHWARTZ / POOL
US President Donald Trump (L) gives remarks on artificial intelligence (AI) Infrastructure as Larry Ellison (2-L), Chief technology officer of Oracle, Masayoshi Son (2-R), CEO of SoftBank, Sam Altman (R), CEO of OpenAI look on in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 21 January 2025. EPA/AARON SCHWARTZ / POOL

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced a private sector investment of up to $500 billion to fund infrastructure for artificial intelligence, aiming to outpace rival nations in the business-critical technology.
Trump said that ChatGPT's creator OpenAI, SoftBank and Oracle are planning a joint venture called Stargate, which he said will build data centers and create more than 100,000 jobs in the United States, Reuters reported.
These companies, along with other equity backers of Stargate, have committed $100 billion for immediate deployment, with the remaining investment expected to occur over the next four years.
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison joined Trump at the White House for the launch.
The first of the project's data centers are already under construction in Texas, Ellison said at the press conference. Twenty will be built, half a million square feet each, he said. The project could power AI that analyzes electronic health records and helps doctors care for their patients, Ellison said.
The executives gave Trump credit for the news. "We wouldn't have decided to do this," Son told Trump, "unless you won."
"For AGI to get built here," said Altman, referring to more powerful technology called artificial general intelligence, "we wouldn't be able to do this without you, Mr. President."
It was not immediately clear whether the announcement was an update to a previously reported venture.
In March 2024, The Information, a technology news website, reported OpenAI and Microsoft were working on plans for a $100 billion data center project that would include an artificial intelligence supercomputer also called "Stargate" set to launch in 2028.
POWER-HUNGRY DATA CENTERS
The announcement on Trump's second day in office follows the rolling back of former President Joe Biden's executive order on AI, that was intended to reduce the risks that AI poses to consumers, workers and national security.
AI requires enormous computing power, pushing demand for specialized data centers that enable tech companies to link thousands of chips together in clusters.
"They have to produce a lot of electricity, and we'll make it possible for them to get that production done very easily at their own plants if they want," Trump said.
As US power consumption rises from AI data centers and the electrification of buildings and transportation, about half of the country is at increased risk of power supply shortfalls in the next decade, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation said in December.
As a candidate in 2016, Trump promised to push a $1 trillion infrastructure bill through Congress but did not. He talked about the topic often during his first term as president from 2017 to 2021, but never delivered on a large investment, and "Infrastructure Week" became a punchline.
Oracle shares were up 7% on initial report of the project earlier in the day. Nvidia, Arm Holdings and Dell shares also rose.
Investment in AI has surged since OpenAI launched ChatGPT in 2022, as companies across sectors have sought to integrate artificial intelligence into their products and services.