ASML this week invested €1.3 billion ($1.5 billion) in Mistral AI, a French AI start-up, in its latest €1.7 billion funding round, reports Reuters. As a result, ASML became the largest shareholder of Mistal AI, which is primarily known for its sovereign AI initiatives and its close work with Nvidia.
The deal is expected to grant ASML a seat on Mistral's board, providing strategic influence in one of Europe's fastest-growing AI start-ups, which could be heading toward a $14 billion valuation. Neither ASML nor Mistral AI have commented on the transaction, so there is no official information on why the world's leading maker of lithography tools decided to invest in an AI company.
