PARIS: The threat of US sanctions on European companies trading with Iran and tariffs on aluminum and steel exports are a test of European sovereignty and will require a firm response, an adviser to French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday.
The United States threatened on Sunday to impose sanctions on European companies that do business with Iran, as the remaining participants in the Iran nuclear accord stiffened their resolve to keep that agreement operational.
“It’s an important test of sovereignty,” the French presidential adviser told reporters in a briefing on Monday. “There must really be a software update on these issues of European assertiveness.”
The adviser said French and EU officials were working on different technical and legal issues to preserve existing business ties and financial channels with Iran, and to shield their companies from sanctions.
An update of the 1996 EU legislation against US sanctions, called a blocking statute, was being considered, he said, adding that French and German companies in particular were above all asking for visibility on the subject.
Macron will use the opportunity of an informal EU summit in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Wednesday and Thursday to reaffirm a firm stance on the issue with his EU counterparts.
“There is no sign of division among Europeans,” the adviser said. “Everything indicates that the European position will be firm and united,” he added.
Asked about the possibility of negotiating a new free-trade agreement with the US to avoid the imposition of tariffs on EU aluminum and steel exports, the adviser said President Donald Trump should waive tariffs beyond the current June 1 deadline before any talks can start.
“All Europeans are very clear that, before considering any option of this nature, Americans must offer a permanent and unconditional exemption” to Europe, the official said.
“There is very strong US pressure on this, which requires a firm European response, that’s what the president will say,” he added.
“We can’t negotiate under pressure, with a gun to our head.”
Iran sanctions, trade are tests of European sovereignty: Emmanuel Macron’s office
Iran sanctions, trade are tests of European sovereignty: Emmanuel Macron’s office
Nvidia expands AI empire with Groq talent grab
- Under an agreement, Groq founder Jonathan Ross and other team members will join Nvidia to help develop and scale the Groq’s technology
- Nvidia’s domination of the AI training chip market has made it the world’s biggest company by market valuation, but it faces increasing competition
SAN FRANCISCO, California: Nvidia has hired the leadership of a promising AI chip startup, a statement said Wednesday, as the artificial intelligence giant expands its tech empire.
Chip maker Groq said the departure of its top executives was part of a non-exclusive licensing agreement with Nvidia for its inference technology, as both companies seek to expand access to low-cost AI processing.
Under the agreement, Groq founder Jonathan Ross and president Sunny Madra, along with other team members, will join Nvidia to help develop and scale the Groq’s technology.
Nvidia’s domination of the AI training chip market has made it the world’s biggest company by market valuation, but it faces increasing competition in the inference segment from specialized startups like Groq.
AI inference refers to the process of running pre-trained AI models to make predictions or generate responses — such as when ChatGPT answers a user’s question or when an image recognition system identifies objects in a photo.
Groq will remain an independent company under new chief executive Simon Edwards, the firm said in a short statement.
The release of the statement shortly followed a report by CNBC that Nvidia was buying Groq outright for $20 billion, though a source close to the matter told AFP that no sale had taken place.
The arrangement resembles an “acquihire” — a practice increasingly common in Silicon Valley where larger tech companies poach key staff from smaller firms, leaving a small remnant of the company behind.
The practice is largely designed to evade the scrutiny of competition regulators that have become skittish about tech giants snapping up promising companies that stand a chance of becoming rivals.
Recent examples include Microsoft’s deal with AI startup Inflection AI in 2024, which saw co-founder Mustafa Suleyman and much of the team join Microsoft while the company remained independent.
Google has also made similar moves, bringing on teams from AI startups like Character.AI in 2024.
Meta’s 2025 deal to invest $14.3 billion in Scale AI and hire its CEO, Alexandr Wang, to lead its new “superintelligence” AI lab is considered one of the biggest acquihires yet.
