Poste Italiane bids €13.5bn for Telecom Italia to build sovereign AI and cloud network

State‑owned postal group Poste Italiane is offering a €13.5 billion bid for Telecom Italia (TIM) to create a larger, state‑backed entity that can develop distributed computing, AI and sovereign cloud services across Italy. The plan would leverage Poste’s nationwide retail network of 12,600 post offices and its 46 million customers, converting sorting centres into edge‑computing hubs and using TIM’s existing data‑centre capacity of 125 MW.

Poste has already enrolled about 30 million users – roughly 70 % of Italy’s population – in the national digital‑ID system. By combining telecom and cloud assets, the new group aims to supply infrastructure to major tech firms and support strategic sectors such as defence and healthcare, countering Europe’s lag behind the United States in AI investment. The deal also reflects broader European moves toward sovereign cloud capability.

Analysts note that TIM, burdened by legacy debt and competition, would benefit from state support to fund 5G and cloud upgrades, while Italy seeks to reduce reliance on foreign tech providers despite higher domestic energy costs.