French Telecom Firm Invests Millions In AI, Citing National Needs

On September 26, the French telecommunications group Iliad made a big announcement. It said that it would invest millions of euros to establish France’s own AI industry. The company has already invested €100 Million ($106 Million) in it. The hitherto-invested amount will go into building an ‘excellence lab’ for AI research.

What Makes French Telecom’s Investment in AI Significant?

As per the communication received, a team consisting of distinguished researchers has been set up. The chairman of the Iliad, Xavier Niel, will lead this team. In his address, Niel said that France needs a proper ecosystem for running AI efficiently. He underlined the importance of the lab in making the technology more accessible to everyone.

More importantly, Iliad has procured the most powerful cloud-native AI supercomputer in Europe. It is a Nvidia DGX SuperPOD equipped with the Nvidia DGX H100. The company has already installed it in its Datacenter 5 near Paris. Niel said that having high computing power is essential for building cutting-edge AI solutions. Thus, the company is leaving no stone unturned in its investment efforts.

As per the company, the DGX SyuperPOD delivers the power that large language models (LLMs) require. Furthermore, Iliad is getting support from its subsidiaries in this endeavor. Scaleway, a subsidiary of Iliad, is a cloud computing and web hosting company. It has decided to offer a suite of cloud-native AI tools that will help in training various-sized models.

Damien Lucas, the CEO of Scaleway, remarked about the significance of these tools. He said that they would empower European companies to upscale their technological innovations. The organizations will be able to offer solutions that cater to international clients. Notably, this news surfaced after European Commission President Ursuala von der Leyen’s announcement.

On September 13, the body launched an initiative to support AI startups with heightened access to supercomputers in Europe. The step taken by Iliad is important not just for France but for the entire continent. First of all, it’ll enable French companies to use AI technology more easily. Secondly, it could make the country a frontrunner in the AI race. And in the future, it could bring many other possibilities for France.

The Emergence of AI And Its Global Impact

However, since the emergence of ChapGPT, many companies have invested in AI. A whole lot of companies are primarily focusing on this technology. Either they’re using it to ameliorate their solution or they’re working on improving the artificial intelligence itself. So here are some companies that have massively invested in AI.

Microsoft Corp.
Alphabet Inc.
Nvidia Corp.
Meta Platforms, Inc.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd.
ASML Holding NV
SAP SE
RELX PLC
Arista Networks Inc.
Baidu Inc.

AI has brought a major disruption to the world. It has overwhelmed as well as intimidated people with its efficiency. While companies are eager to adopt it, governments are preparing to regulate it. No matter how one perceives things related to this technology, it’ll surely prevail. Yet, it is prudent to evaluate every aspect and effect of implementing it in different industries.

Andrew is a blockchain developer who developed his interest in cryptocurrencies while his post-graduation. He is a keen observer of details and shares his passion for writing along with being a developer. His backend knowledge about blockchain helps him give a unique perspective to his writing