High energy prices could derail Europe’s AI race with U.S. and China

Europe wants to position itself as a leader in AI and compete with the U.S. and China — but experts told CNBC that its soaring energy prices could undermine those ambitions. The region is looking to get ahead in the AI arms by ramping up compute capacity and building out the critical infrastructure needed for the technology. But power-hungry data centers mean investments are particularly sensitive to the cost of energy, and Europe's prices are surging amid the U.S.-Iran war. …