Germany-based AI startup Aleph Alpha has secured $500 million in a Series B funding round, with backing from investors including Bosch and SAP. The company, founded by former Apple AI researcher Jonas Andrulis, aims to be the leading provider of sovereign generative AI applications in Europe, competing against OpenAI and other major players. Aleph Alpha has already developed the "Luminous" series of large language models and plans to launch a 300 billion parameter "Luminous World" model later this year. The funding will be used to advance the company's proprietary AI research and accelerate the development and commercialization of generative AI for complex applications in data-sensitive industries like healthcare, finance, law, government, and security. The investment is in line with Europe's strategic national priority of boosting data sovereignty. Aleph Alpha's progress is seen as evidence of the growing momentum of AI companies in Europe. While the company aims to contribute to Europe's technological sovereignty, its ability to become a major player in the AI industry without US investment or resources remains to be seen.