Schwarz Group expands into AI and cloud infrastructure

Schwarz Group, the German company that owns Lidl and Kaufland, is significantly expanding its technological footprint through major investments in artificial intelligence and sovereign cloud infrastructure.

Through its IT division, Schwarz Digits, the group has partnered with French manufacturer Bull to develop a common technological platform. This collaboration involves integrating the STACKIT cloud platform with Bull’s high-performance computing hardware. New servers, utilizing liquid cooling technologies for AI workloads, will be produced at a facility in Angers, France. The partnership also aims to explore quantum computing and provide secure services for European organizations managing sensitive data.

Additionally, Schwarz Group led a major funding round for the Canadian AI company Cohere. The operation, which could reach approximately 7 billion Canadian dollars, may value Cohere at roughly 22.8 billion euros. This investment is intended to integrate Cohere’s AI capabilities into Schwarz Digits’ STACKIT infrastructure, strengthening the group’s strategic position in the global digital sovereignty sector.