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French AI Startup Mistral Raises $1.5 Billion From Chip Giant ASML

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French AI startup Mistral has secured a massive investment from Dutch chip company ASML.

Mistral, which is seen as Europe’s answer to OpenAI, received a 1.3 billion euros, or $1.5 billion, investment from ASML as part of a wider $2 billion funding round, the companies said Tuesday.

ASML, which has a market capitalization of $308 billion, has taken a roughly 11% stake in Mistral, making it the startup’s largest shareholder. The Dutch company sells specialized machinery essential for chip manufacturing,

The funding roughly doubles Mistral’s post-money valuation to nearly $13.8 billion, cementing its place as Europe’s most valuable AI startup.

Mistral’s funding is dwarfed by that of OpenAI, which has raised close to $60 billion in total.

Mistral has developed large language models that are open weights, meaning anyone can see or use information determining how the model works after it’s been trained — but not the full source code.

ASML’s president and CEO, Christophe Fouquet, said the company would use Mistral’s AI technology in its own supply chains and for R&D.

Arthur Mensch, the cofounder and CEO of Mistral, said it would help ASML “solve current and future engineering challenges through AI.”

Other investors in the Series C round included DST Global, Andreessen Horowitz, and Nvidia, which have all previously invested in Mistral.

Unlike Nvidia, which makes a large number of investments in startups, ASML is more selective. The Dutch company has invested in venture funds like the DeepTechXL fund, but its last public direct investment in a startup was Smart Photonics in 2023.

It’s also the latest example of a synergy between Mistral and one of its investors from the semiconductor world.

In June, Nvidia announced a partnership with Mistral to provide Nvidia chips for the startup’s homegrown AI infrastructure platform.

CEO Jensen Huang took to the stage with Mensch to talk up “AI sovereignty,” the idea of a country using its own AI infrastructure, such as hardware and data, within its own borders.





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Funding & Business

US Official Offers Regrets Over Detention of South Koreans

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US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau on Sunday expressed regret over the recent detention of hundreds of South Korean workers in Georgia.



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Yuan’s Gradual Advance May Offer Boost to Emerging Currencies

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China’s new-found tolerance for steady yuan appreciation looks set to re-accelerate a rally in emerging-market currencies, as investors brace themselves for lower US interest rates.



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UBS Met With US Officials as Bank Weighs Strategy Options: NYP

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UBS Group AG executives recently met with officials from President Donald Trump’s administration as they evaluate a potential strategy shift that could help the Swiss bank combat stiffer capital requirements at home, the New York Post reported on Sunday.



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