Samsung Electronics is in advanced talks to invest up to €1 billion in French AI startup Mistral AI, a deal that would value the company at roughly €20 billion ($22.8 billion) and mark one of the biggest strategic bets yet on Europe’s AI sector.
The potential investment was first reported by the Financial Times, which said Samsung could commit as much as €1 billion as part of a multibillion-euro fundraising round led by a group of global investors. If completed, the round would push Mistral’s valuation close to double the €12 billion it reached in September 2025, highlighting investor confidence in one of Europe’s fastest-growing AI companies.
Swedish private equity firm EQT’s Scaleup Europe Fund is reportedly in discussions to join the financing, alongside potential investors including Novo Holdings and Santander.
“Samsung in talks to invest in Mistral at €20bn valuation. South Korean giant could invest as much as €1bn in French AI group seeking to be a leading alternative to US tech,” The Financial Times reported.
The fundraising effort follows another major milestone for Mistral. Four months ago, the company raised $830 million to build Nvidia-powered AI data centers across Europe, laying the groundwork for a larger infrastructure footprint across the region.
Founded in 2023 by former DeepMind and Meta researchers Arthur Mensch, Guillaume Lample, and Timothée Lacroix, the Paris-based startup has emerged as Europe’s leading AI challenger. Its open-weight language models and Le Chat assistant have attracted developers, enterprises, and governments looking for an alternative to U.S.-based AI providers.
Samsung’s interest is more than a financial investment.
Why Samsung wants a bigger stake in Europe’s AI race
The South Korean technology giant dominates the global memory chip market and supplies high-bandwidth memory chips used to train and deploy advanced AI models. A closer relationship with Mistral could strengthen demand for Samsung’s AI hardware at a time when competition with rivals in the semiconductor industry continues to intensify.
The companies have already been building ties. In April, Mistral CEO Arthur Mensch met Samsung executives in South Korea to discuss AI memory technology and semiconductor supply chains. Samsung Ventures had already participated in earlier funding rounds, making the new investment a logical next step in a growing partnership.
For Samsung, the deal would provide exposure to one of Europe’s most valuable AI startups while strengthening its position across the AI infrastructure stack, from chips to software.
For Mistral, fresh capital would help finance an ambitious data center expansion across Europe.
Why Mistral has become Europe’s hottest AI startup
The startup has positioned itself as a European alternative to OpenAI and Google, placing a strong focus on data sovereignty and enterprise AI. Its models are already used by the French military, and the company has attracted support from political leaders seeking to strengthen Europe’s technological independence.
Momentum around the company has continued to build.
Just one day before reports of Samsung’s investment talks surfaced, Mistral announced an expanded multibillion-dollar partnership with Microsoft. The agreement gives Mistral access to significant computing capacity across Europe and expands distribution of its AI models through Microsoft Azure, Copilot Studio, and other enterprise services.
The partnership includes thousands of Nvidia GPUs deployed across European facilities, giving enterprise customers access to AI services that keep sensitive workloads within European borders.
Earlier this year, Mistral secured debt financing for a large AI data center near Paris equipped with thousands of Nvidia GPUs. The company has since announced plans for additional facilities in Sweden as it works to build hundreds of megawatts of AI computing capacity across Europe by 2027.
The fundraising discussions reflect a broader shift in the AI market.
Investors are placing larger bets on companies building AI infrastructure outside the United States as governments and enterprises look for greater control over where AI models are trained, hosted, and deployed. Europe’s push for sovereign AI has gained momentum, and Mistral has become its most recognizable standard-bearer.
The company’s rise has been unusually swift. Founded less than three years ago, Mistral reached unicorn status within months and now stands on the verge of a €20 billion valuation. Revenue has continued to climb, supported by enterprise customers, government contracts, and growing demand for AI infrastructure across Europe.
Neither Samsung nor Mistral has confirmed the reported negotiations. The fundraising round remains under discussion, and the final size, valuation, and list of investors could still change before any agreement is signed.
If the investment moves forward, it would rank among the largest commitments by an Asian technology company to a European AI startup. It would strengthen Samsung’s role in the AI supply chain and give Mistral another powerful partner as competition in the global AI market continues to intensify.
Mistral Team
