ASML, Amadeus and others commit to backing Mistral’s data centre buildout

French AI startup Mistral has secured commitments from a range of enterprise customers to support its data center buildout, positioning itself as a European neocloud. Dutch semiconductor equipment maker ASML, French logistics giant CMA-CGM, state-backed Caisse des Dépôts, consultancy firm Capgemini and Spanish travel corporation Amadeus are among the anchor group of enterprises funding Mistral's plans to build AI infrastructure across Europe.

Mistral aims to construct 1,000 megawatts of compute for AI across Europe by 2030, with its first data center south of Paris representing 44 megawatts of capacity. The expansion could position Mistral as a significant cloud player in the region, comparable to other neoclouds. Mistral CEO Arthur Mensch estimated that 1 gigawatt of compute would require a $50bn investment.

The company is still in talks to raise €3bn at a valuation of around €20bn. For customers, the enterprise commitments will convert into European Compute Units (ECUs), granting access to future compute and related services from Mistral. The move aims to support infrastructure in Europe at a scale that no participant could secure alone.

Mistral has also opened its platform to third-party open models, including GLM-5.2 from Chinese AI lab Z.ai, allowing customers to choose other model providers for their AI workloads.