The end of the year did not prove conducive to last-minute announcements. The main thing played out throughout the year, following the rise of the major players in artificial intelligence and their industrial investments.
Apart from a sequence marked by several cyberattacks affecting companies, including La Poste and various administrations, as well as the ban on stay in the United States targeting Thierry Breton and four other European nationals, the confectioners’ truce took place in relative calm.
Some information nevertheless caught our attention and deserves to be isolated for what it says about the dynamics at work. The FW.media team takes this opportunity to send you its best wishes. We know how demanding the year 2025 has been for many players in the ecosystem.
May the months to come mark a break and open a new sequence.
We will see you throughout 2026 on all of our media brought together within DECODE NETWORK to decipher the innovations, strategies and dynamics that shape the digital economy.
Richard Menneveux,
Founder of DECODE MEDIA and Editor-in-Chief of FW.media
Semiconductors: China accelerates its autonomy with Moore Threads
Moore Threads has unveiled a new generation of chips intended to reduce Chinese dependence on Nvidia technologies. Founded in 2020 by a former Nvidia executive, the company presents the Huagang architecture, promising a 50% increase in computing density and tenfold energy efficiency.
Huashan chips, scheduled for mass production in 2026, are targeting clusters of more than 100,000 GPUs for training AI models, despite US export restrictions. Blacklisted since 2023, Moore Threads embodies the emergence of Chinese national champions in the global race for semiconductors dedicated to AI.
Nvidia consolidates its hold via the ecosystem
In this context of the computing race, Nvidia has secured a new technological brick via a licensing agreement with the startup Groq. Groq’s ultra-low latency chip technology will be integrated into future Nvidia products, as several executives join the group.
Jensen Huang is capitalizing on rapidly growing free cash flow to lock down the AI value chain, combining licenses, targeted recruitment and strategic investments.
Meta: offensive on AI, defensive on teenagers
AI Agents: Meta buys Manus
Meta bought Manus for $2.5 billion, securing AI agent technology capable of performing complex tasks (search, presentations, website creation). The operation illustrates the difficulty for independent AI startups to reach a global scale without relying on platforms with massive distribution and infrastructure capabilities.
Instagram: strategic reconquest of adolescents
At the same time, Meta has relaunched an offensive strategy to win back teenagers on Instagram, after an estimated drop of between 20 and 30% in new registrations. The adjustments focus on algorithms, messaging and social networking mechanics, with the aim of recreating a pipeline of usage from adolescence in the face of TikTok and YouTube.
Cybersecurity: ServiceNow enters the era of megadeals
ServiceNow announced the purchase of Armis for $7.75 billion, its largest acquisition to date.
Armis claims $300 million in ARR and strong growth in securing connected devices. The operation confirms the accelerated consolidation of the cybersecurity sector, driven by AI, the multiplication of attacks and ServiceNow’s ambition to become a central platform for enterprise security.
Movements:
Orange creates a position of Chief Trust Officer and appoints Guillaume Poupard
Laurent Solly leaves Meta after twelve years at the helm of Europe
Arriving in 2013 as general manager of Facebook France in a context of strong tax and regulatory tensions, he played a central role in the normalization of relations between the platform and the French and then European public authorities. His scope gradually extended to Southern Europe before his promotion to vice-presidency of Europe at the start of 2025.
This departure marks the end of a sequence of professionalization of relations between Big Tech and European states and opens questions about Meta’s future strategy in Europe.
Laurent Solly will soon be named Knight of the Legion of Honor, a distinction which has sparked contrasting reactions within the French Tech ecosystem.
Luc Julia leaves Renault, innovation refocused under engineering
Prophesee appoints Jean Ferré CEO to enter an industrial execution phase
French deeptech Prophesee announces the appointment of Jean Ferré as CEO. He succeeds Luca Verre, co-founder, as the company enters a phase of commercialization and industrial ramp-up.
Jean Ferré brings more than thirty years of experience acquired notably at Microsoft, Thales and Sinequa. He is responsible for directing Prophesee’s strategy towards the defense, security, aeronautics and industrial automation markets.
Stéphane Distinguin leaves EY Fabernovel after 22 years
