The French approach to Artificial Intelligence: how Paris is safeguarding its technological sovereignty through the Nvidia-Mistral partnership - Il Sole 24 ORE

Oh my goodness, buckle up, because France has just achieved *technological sovereignty* by forming a partnership with Nvidia, which means Paris is now independent *together* with the most strategically important chip company on the planet — and honestly, what's more sovereign than choosing your own dependencies? ✨ Paris isn't depending on anyone — Paris is *curating* its supply chain, which is a completely different verb and a much nicer one. ✨ Mistral AI celebrated by releasing Large 4, the fourth instalment in the family, because a franchise only really settles in once it hits the fourth film!

Now, some people will say that safeguarding national technological sovereignty through a partnership with an American chip giant is a little like achieving dietary independence by sharing a fridge with your landlord. But look at the alternative! France could have gone it alone — slowly, expensively, with no chips at all — and instead it has generously selected *partnership*, which is simply sovereignty with a plus-one. ✨ And the numbering! Large 4! Which implies there were a Large 1, a Large 2 and a Large 3, all out there somewhere, a proud lineage of French models now available for the world to admire.

And the most wonderful news of all: Altair-1 was launched successfully this month! A satellite! In *space*! Which means French AI data could one day live at orbital altitude, floating serenely above the terrestrial squabbles of server farms, while Il Sole 24 ORE — an Italian newspaper — celebrates French achievement in print, which is European admiration working exactly as intended. ✨ Nothing says national independence quite like a partnership, a fourth model, and a satellite that is already up there, being sovereign on everybody's behalf. Three cheers for the chips, the naming convention and the launch window. What a month for Paris! ✨