The European Union's initiative to bolster homegrown AI startups by granting them access to processing power on the bloc's supercomputers has entered an early pilot phase, with France's Mistral AI participating. Launched in September and operational since last month, the program aims to provide dedicated support for AI startups to maximize the potential of the EU's high-performance computing.
During a recent press briefing, an EU official highlighted the importance of not just providing access but also facilitating the development of skills and knowledge required by AI startups. The plan involves establishing "centers of excellence" to support the creation of specialized AI algorithms compatible with the EU's supercomputers.
AI startups traditionally rely on dedicated compute hardware from U.S. hyperscalers for model training, making the transition to supercomputing resources a learning curve. To address this, the high-performance computing access for AI training program is complemented with a support framework. The EU is gearing up to create an "AI support center" with a specific track for SMEs and startups, emphasizing the need to assist these entities in effectively engaging with supercomputers.
Recognizing AI as a strategic priority, the EU aims to provide a substantial innovation window for SMEs and startups. The establishment of an AI support center aligns with this goal, acknowledging the AI community's limited experience in utilizing supercomputers compared to GPUs.
The EU's significant investment in supercomputers over the past five years, with plans to interconnect them for a federated supercomputing resource, reflects its commitment to advancing technology infrastructure. The upcoming exascale supercomputers in Germany and France, along with quantum computing initiatives, further underscore the EU's emphasis on technological leadership.
Applications leveraging the EU's high-performance computing hardware include projects like Destination Earth, simulating ecosystems for climate modeling, and efforts to create a digital twin of the human body for medical advancements. The recent focus on supporting AI startups aligns with the EU's strategic vision for fostering "Made in Europe" general-purpose AI.
As part of its commitment, the EU announced a "Large AI grand challenge," inviting European AI startups with experience in large-scale models to compete for supercomputing access and a €1 million prize. Notably, Mistral AI, a French startup with substantial Series A funding, is among the early beneficiaries of the EU's supercomputing access program.
While it's too early to assess the full impact of the EU's "supercompute for AI" program, the Commission's hope is that by combining support for startups with AI-compliant supercomputers, it will create a competitive advantage for the local AI ecosystem. The EU plans to acquire more dedicated AI supercomputing machines, emphasizing accelerators over standard CPUs, starting in 2024.
Whether the EU's AI support strategy aligns with or differs from the ambitions of member states regarding national AI champions remains to be seen. Mistral's early involvement in the supercomputing access program suggests potential alignment with broader EU objectives.
