French AI developer Mistral says to build first data centre

French artificial intelligence AI startup Mistral said Sunday it would pour "several billion euros" into building its first data centre in the country, with control over storage and processing power, a key advantage in the technological race.

Mistral co-founder Arthur Mensch's announcement in an interview with broadcaster TF1 came hours ahead of the opening of a global AI summit in Paris set to draw government chiefs and tech industry leaders.

The investment would amount to "several billion euros," 32-year-old Mensch said, adding that the firm aims to "control the whole value chain, from the computer to the software".


Ahead of the summit, France has pushed itself as an ideal data centre host, betting on its offer of low-carbon electricity from its network of nuclear plants and a selection of shovel-ready sites to attract investors.

The United Arab Emirates on Thursday pledged to build a data centre on an AI campus worth up to $50 billion, while Canadian investment fund Brookfield pledged 20 billion euros ($20.6 billion) for multiple centres.