French Billionaire Xavier Niel Invests €200 Million in AI to Bolster Tech Innovation in Europe
In Brief
French billionaire Xavier Niel invests €200 million in AI to boost Europe’s competitiveness in the global tech arena.
His telecom conglomerate, Iliad, will fund projects including a high-tech cloud supercomputer with Nvidia, a pioneering research center in Paris, and an annual AI conference at Station F in Paris.
French billionaire Xavier Niel is committing €200 million to propel AI forward, a significant step in Europe’s effort to keep pace in the worldwide AI competition with the US and China.
According to the Financial Times, Niel’s telecom conglomerate Iliad will invest in a range of projects, including a state-of-the-art cloud supercomputer in partnership with Nvidia, a pioneering research center in Paris, and an annual AI conference at Station F, Niel’s bustling startup hub in France’s capital.
The billionaire emphasized the critical role of computing power in influencing the AI market. He underlined the necessity of massive investments to procure supercomputers, a cornerstone of AI innovation.
“To influence the AI market, you need computing power. To have computing power, you need supercomputers. And to have supercomputers, you have to invest massively,”
Niel said.
Through its subsidiary, Scaleway, Iliad has been crafting a European alternative to the cloud services offered by dominant US tech giants. By endowing this infrastructure with a supercomputer, Niel envisions the creation of a European AI champion—a pivotal step in asserting data sovereignty and safeguarding data on European soil.
Fostering France’s AI Ecosystem Amid Global Competition
Niel’s vision for the newly established research lab is to cultivate a thriving French AI ecosystem capable of rivaling the likes of Microsoft-backed OpenAI in the US. The lab will harness the talents of graduates from the top French educational institutions.
In June, the French startup Mistral secured €105 million in what stands as Europe’s largest-ever seed funding round to develop AI software to compete with Silicon Valley giants such as OpenAI and Google’s DeepMind. President Emmanuel Macron also committed €500 million in funding that same month to bolster generative AI projects and the open-source movement in France.
However, some industry experts told FT that €200 million might only be a fraction of the total investment required in AI. Training a substantial language model alone can cost around $100 million, highlighting the immense resources necessary to thrive in this field. Companies like Nvidia, Microsoft, and Alphabet, thanks to their vast resources and expertise, are well-positioned to benefit most from AI advancements.
Niel’s push for French AI development aligns with wider European efforts to foster AI while ensuring responsible regulation, reminiscent of past tech challenges. He emphasizes the importance of nurturing a comprehensive French AI ecosystem through a research lab, resources, and top talent.
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About The Author
Agne is a journalist who covers the latest trends and developments in the metaverse, AI, and Web3 industries for the Metaverse Post. Her passion for storytelling has led her to conduct numerous interviews with experts in these fields, always seeking to uncover exciting and engaging stories. Agne holds a Bachelor’s degree in literature and has an extensive background in writing about a wide range of topics including travel, art, and culture. She has also volunteered as an editor for the animal rights organization, where she helped raise awareness about animal welfare issues. Contact her on agnec@mpost.io.
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Agne is a journalist who covers the latest trends and developments in the metaverse, AI, and Web3 industries for the Metaverse Post. Her passion for storytelling has led her to conduct numerous interviews with experts in these fields, always seeking to uncover exciting and engaging stories. Agne holds a Bachelor’s degree in literature and has an extensive background in writing about a wide range of topics including travel, art, and culture. She has also volunteered as an editor for the animal rights organization, where she helped raise awareness about animal welfare issues. Contact her on agnec@mpost.io.
