Mistral AI Hits €11.7B Valuation After Raising €1.7B
▼ Summary
– Mistral AI raised €1.7 billion in its third funding round, valuing the company at €11.7 billion.
– ASML contributed nearly €1.3 billion and will hold an 11% stake plus a strategic committee seat.
– The company faces intense international competition from US giants like OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and Meta.
– This funding round emphasizes European partnership, unlike previous rounds partly backed by US investors.
– Mistral AI has secured major clients including Orange, BNP Paribas, Cisco, Stellantis, and CMA CGM.
French artificial intelligence firm Mistral AI has successfully secured a €1.7 billion funding round, catapulting its valuation to an impressive €11.7 billion. This latest investment more than doubles the company’s previous valuation of €5.8 billion from just a few months ago in June 2024. A significant portion of the funding, nearly €1.3 billion, comes from ASML, the Dutch global leader in semiconductor lithography systems. As part of the agreement, ASML will acquire an 11% stake in Mistral AI and gain a seat on its strategic committee.
This development can be interpreted in two ways: on one hand, it marks a major leap forward for Europe’s sole developer of large language models, yet it also underscores the intense global competition the company faces. Rivals like OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and Meta continue to pour massive resources into AI, raising the stakes in the industry.
A notable positive aspect of this round is Mistral AI’s strengthened European partnership. While previous funding included substantial contributions from U.S. investors—who also participated in this round—the involvement of ASML signals a strategic alignment within the region. Christophe Fouquet, CEO of ASML, emphasized that the collaboration will deliver clear benefits to ASML’s customers through innovative AI-powered products and solutions. ASML reported €28 billion in revenue for 2024.
Another advantage for Mistral AI is the sheer scale of this funding injection, which nearly doubles the total capital raised since the company’s founding in June 2023. The startup has also demonstrated technical credibility with its AI models, particularly in the niche of smaller, more efficient systems that require less computational power and lower costs. In recent months, Mistral AI has secured major contracts with high-profile clients including Orange, BNP Paribas, Cisco, Stellantis, and CMA CGM, the latter committing to a €100 million partnership.
(Source: LE Monde)
