At Vivatech in Paris, President Emmanuel Macron lauded the “historic” partnership between French AI firm Mistral AI and American chipmaker Nvidia. The collaboration was unveiled at the event, a major European technology showcase.

“The partnership announced today (…) is, in my eyes, a historic alliance,” the French president stated on the main stage at Vivatech, alongside Arthur Mensch and Jensen Huang, the CEOs of the two companies.

mistral AI, known for its chatbot Le Chat Competant de Chatgpt, and Nvidia, a key producer of electronic chips for generative artificial intelligence (AI), are joining forces to create a cloud platform, “Mistral Compute,” where Mistral AI’s models will be hosted.

The founder and CEO of Mistral AI,Arthur Mensch (G),the CEO of Nvidia,Jensen Huang (C),and President emmanuel Macron (D) during a round table at the Living Room in Paris,June 11,2025 (Pool / Sarah Meyssonnier)

the “Mistral Compute” platform will utilize “18,000 superpuces Blackwell,” some of the most advanced chips from the american tech giant.

Mr. Mensch highlighted that this “fully independent” platform would allow users to “no longer rely for (their) use of AI on certain American suppliers.”

“It is indeed a paradigm shift as it will increase our sovereignty and allow us to do much more,” said Emmanuel Macron.

the president also toured the show, engaging with various European companies and advocating for the continent’s technological independence. The ninth edition of Vivatech featured 14,000 start-ups and an expected 165,000 visitors.

Europe’s Tech Sovereignty

A proponent of the “Start-up Nation,” Emmanuel Macron discussed technological sovereignty with several young European companies during his visit.

Visitors to the Stand Mistral AI at the living room, June 11, 2025 in Paris (AFP / Thibaud Moritz)

President Macron expressed concern that Europe “has lost its autonomy because it has endangered its ability to produce,” leading to increased dependence on othre regions. He advocated for giving French and European start-ups greater access to public contracts.

Following the AI ​​summit in Paris,the Head of State reiterated his desire for “a sustainable,humanist and secure” approach to AI advancement.

“We have to have the capacity to be at the heart of this fight,” he said.

Amidst global economic uncertainties influenced by American trade policies, the debate over reliance on american digital tools, including AI, has intensified.