Microsoft is on a roll in the world of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and its latest move involves a new partner: French startup Mistral. This multi-year partnership will see Mistral's AI models land on Microsoft's Azure platform, making it the second company, after OpenAI, to offer commercial language models on Azure.
This deal comes just over a year after Microsoft's massive $10 billion investment in OpenAI, highlighting the software giant's continued commitment to AI development and deployment.
Azure's AI Arsenal Expands
The partnership with Mistral brings several benefits to both parties. For Microsoft, it strengthens Azure's AI offerings, providing developers with more options and potentially attracting new customers. For Mistral, the deal opens doors to commercial opportunities and the vast resources of Microsoft's Azure platform.
One of the key highlights is Mistral's new AI model, Mistral Large, designed to compete directly with OpenAI's GPT-4 model. Unlike some of Mistral's previous models, Mistral Large won't be open-source, but it promises "strong results on commonly used benchmarks," making it a compelling option for developers.
Beyond the Cloud: A Look at Le Chat
This partnership isn't just about cloud-based AI models. Mistral is also releasing a new conversational chatbot called Le Chat. This AI-powered chatbot leverages various models from Mistral AI and is designed to engage in natural conversations. Reminiscent of ChatGPT, Claude et. al.
Microsoft's Strategic Investment
While the details of the investment are undisclosed, it's clear that Microsoft sees potential in Mistral's technology. This move comes amidst some challenges for Microsoft's other major AI partner, OpenAI, which recently faced leadership turmoil.
Microsoft's investment in Mistral provides them with a strategic foothold in the AI landscape, diversifying their partnerships and ensuring they stay at the forefront of this rapidly evolving field.
It's an exciting time for AI, and with players like Microsoft and Mistral pushing the boundaries, we can expect to see even more innovative AI applications emerge in the near future.
