Microsoft Partners with Mistral AI to Boost Models-as-a-Service (MaaS) Footprint

Microsoft has entered into a multiyear partnership with Paris-based AI start-up Mistral,  to expand its influence in the AI sector beyond its existing deal with OpenAI.

Though financial details remain undisclosed, Microsoft will invest in Mistral as part of the agreement. The partnership extends to research and development collaboration, focusing on building applications for EU and addressing public sector-specific needs using AI models.

Mistral AI becomes the second provider of commercial language models on Microsoft's Azure cloud computing platform. Microsoft's existing US$13 billion investment in OpenAI is currently under scrutiny by the U.S. government, EU, and UK.

“We are thrilled to embark on this partnership with Microsoft. With Azure’s cutting-edge AI infrastructure, we are reaching a new milestone in our expansion propelling our innovative research and practical applications to new customers everywhere. Together, we are committed to driving impactful progress in the AI industry and delivering unparalleled value to our customers and partners globally,” says Arthur Mensch, Chief Executive Officer of Mistral AI.

Nature of the Microsoft and Mistral Partnership

The partnership focuses on three key areas. Firstly, Microsoft will provide Mistral AI with supercomputing infrastructure on Azure, optimizing performance and scale for AI training and inference workloads.

Secondly, Mistral AI's premium models, including Mistral Large, will be made available through Models-as-a-Service (MaaS) in Azure AI Studio and Azure Machine Learning model catalog. Customers can leverage Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment for model purchases, enhancing Mistral AI's market reach.

Lastly, the collaboration includes joint efforts in AI research and development, with a focus on training purpose-specific models for select customers, including European public sector workloads.

The integration of Mistral 7B and Mistral Large into the Azure AI model catalog was unveiled at Microsoft Ignite in November 2023. Mistral Large, a versatile language model proficient in multiple languages, is tailored for various text-based use cases, demonstrating state-of-the-art reasoning and knowledge capabilities.

This addition to Models-as-a-Service within Azure AI Studio and Azure Machine Learning enriches Microsoft customers with a diverse selection of cutting-edge and open-source models, facilitating the creation and deployment of custom AI applications.

This partnership aligns with Microsoft's efforts towards building trustworthy and safe AI systems and products, further enhancing AI offerings and ensuring security and reliability through integration into AI Studio with Azure AI Content Safety and responsible AI tools.

Aside from the Mistral partnership, Microsoft recently announced US$ 5.6 billion in new AI data center investments in Germany and Spain.