French AI start-up Mistral announced a “strategic partnership” with Microsoft, the amount of investment was €15 million. The antimonopoly body of the European Union was interested in such an agreement, writes Bloomberg.
The partnership will see Mistral deliver the latest AI models to Microsoft Azure cloud customers. The AI startup develops algorithmic models similar to OpenAI models used for chatbots and other artificial intelligence services. Microsoft announced the investment amount – €15 million. The company will convert them into equity capital as part of Mistral's next round of financing. The deal has attracted the attention of EU regulators. According to journalists, a representative of the European Commission said that they will analyze these investments when they receive a copy of the agreement. This step could lead to an official investigation , which could potentially disrupt Microsoft's plans. The company's ties with OpenAI also came under the regulator's attention.. Microsoft mainly worked with them in the field of artificial intelligence. They invested $13 billion in this startup. Such financial support for chatbot developer ChatGPT may be subject to EU merger rules, Reuters previously reported.
The French Mistral AI launched in May 2023 and, without having a finished product at that time, was able to attract $113 million in a seed round from investors from around the world. In June, the project was estimated at $260 million.