AFP reported today that French President Emmanuel Macron recently stated that France will be committed to producing the most advanced chips globally and striving to become the core country of the European technology industry. He also highly praised the cooperation project between Foxconn Technology Group and French enterprises in the semiconductor field. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang mentioned that more artificial intelligence infrastructure will be built in Europe, further promoting the development of AI technology in Europe. The French tech event VivaTech was held grandly in Paris this month 11th. Macron exchanged views on stage with Huang Renxun, CEO of AI chip giant Nvidia (NVIDIA), and Arthur Mensch, CEO of French AI startup Mistral AI. Huang Renxun said on the spot that Nvidia's first graphics processing unit (GPU) was manufactured in France at that time by SGS-Thomson Semiconductor (SGS Thomson Microelectronics), which is now the well-known STMicroelectronics. Although STMicroelectronics is not currently one of the leading chip manufacturers in the world, its products are mostly used in industries such as automobiles that do not require high-end processes, Macron still proposed the grand goal of France developing chip manufacturing capabilities from 2nm to 10nm at the conference. He said: "If we want to consolidate our industrial system, we must produce more and more chips at a sufficient scale now." In the wave of global AI development, Europe has fallen behind China and the United States, placing it in an awkward position. In terms of investment, OECD reports show that private investment in AI-related fields in the US is about $300 billion, while in China it is $91 billion, but in the EU it is only $45 billion. Public investment in Europe is also at a disadvantage, and the lack of funds severely restricts the scale and innovation speed of European AI projects. Europe also faces the problem of market fragmentation. The EU consists of many countries, with differences in language, culture, and policies, making it difficult to unify the market, which hinders the conduct of large-scale AI projects and the construction of unified datasets. In contrast, both the US and China have unified markets; China not only has a large market size but also strong coordination among different regions, enabling rapid resource integration to promote AI development. In terms of regulation, although the EU has been the first to formulate regulations such as the Artificial Intelligence Act in the field of AI ethics and privacy protection, strict regulations protect citizens' rights while also delaying the speed of AI innovation, development, and deployment. Many AI startups are restricted in their development due to the difficulty of bearing compliance costs. In comparison, the US and China are more flexible in regulation, giving companies more room for innovation. Macron's remarks this time demonstrated France's determination not to fall behind in the technology sector and to strive to rise again. France attempts to become the core country of the European technology industry, and the development of advanced chip manufacturing is a key breakthrough. This not only meets the needs of local industrial upgrading but also occupies a more advantageous position in the global technology supply chain, enhancing European technological autonomy and reducing dependence on external chip supplies. However, France faces many challenges in developing advanced chips. Currently, in the high-end field of global chip manufacturing, TSMC and Samsung have obvious advantages in technology, talent, capital, and market share. To achieve the goal of developing 2nm to 10nm chip manufacturing capabilities, France needs to invest heavily in R&D and equipment procurement, and solve the shortage of high-end chip talent. Moreover, the fierce international competition in the chip market makes it a challenge for France to meet domestic demand while opening up international markets. For Nvidia's AI layout in Europe, although the prospects are broad, it may face obstacles such as local policies, data security, and coordination among different countries. Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1834908375644419/ Disclaimer: This article represents the author's personal views.