In a strategic move to diversify its artificial intelligence (AI) offerings, Microsoft has announced a new partnership with French startup Mistral AI. This collaboration will see Mistral AI’s advanced AI models being integrated into Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing platform, marking a significant step in Microsoft’s quest to broaden its AI portfolio beyond its notable investment in OpenAI. The partnership, which spans multiple years, not only underscores Microsoft’s commitment to enhancing its Azure cloud services but also positions the tech giant as a key player in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
Under the terms of the deal, Microsoft will acquire a minority stake in Mistral, although specific financial details remain undisclosed. Despite this investment, Microsoft clarified that it does not hold equity in Mistral, a point of distinction given the tech giant’s substantial funding in OpenAI, which has attracted regulatory attention in both Europe and the U.S.
Mistral AI, based in Paris, specializes in both open source and proprietary large language models (LLM) akin to those developed by OpenAI, including the widely recognized ChatGPT. These models are capable of understanding and generating text in a manner that closely mimics human communication. The partnership will initially make Mistral’s latest proprietary model, Mistral Large, available exclusively to Azure customers, with the technology being hosted on Microsoft’s cloud platform.
The collaboration with Microsoft is not Mistral’s only venture into cloud distribution; the startup has also engaged with tech giants Amazon and Google to disseminate its models. Plans are underway to extend the availability of Mistral Large to other cloud platforms in the coming months, further broadening the reach and impact of Mistral’s innovative AI technology.
Mistral AI was co-founded by Timothée Lacroix and Guillaume Lample, both of whom have backgrounds in Meta’s AI teams, and Arthur Mensch, a former researcher at Google’s DeepMind. This partnership with Microsoft not only highlights Mistral’s expertise and potential in the field of AI but also signals a growing trend of collaboration and innovation among tech companies to leverage AI technologies for a wide range of applications.
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