Cohere Merges with Aleph Alpha in $20B Sovereign AI Deal — Schwarz Group Commits €500M

Sifted·high signal

Canadian AI company Cohere is acquiring Germany's Aleph Alpha in a deal valuing the combined entity at ~$20B, creating a transatlantic sovereign AI powerhouse with dual headquarters in Canada and Germany. Schwarz Group (Lidl's parent) is investing €500M ($600M) in structured financing to back the combined entity targeting regulated sectors — defense, finance, healthcare, public sector — where enterprises demand data sovereignty outside US tech giants. Both Canadian and German governments have signaled support for the deal.