Our CEO Thomas Immich recently attended the AI Now Summit hosted by Mistral AI in Paris and he did it all in a single day. On the train from Saarbrücken at 8am, back home with his family by evening. As it turns out, Paris is faster to reach from Saarbrücken than many German cities. A quiet win for our headquarters location, and perhaps the most unexpected highlight of the day.
But of course, the trip wasn’t about travel times – it was about content. The packed venue said it all: interest in European AI is enormous. Here are his key takeaways from the day.
Highlights from AI Now Summit
Indiana Jones meets Mistral: AI deciphers ancient Papyri
One of the most remarkable moments of the day came from Anna Dolganov, who presented a fascinating use case on stage: with support from Mistral AI, researchers developed a specialized language model for ancient Greek capable of completing textual gaps in fragmented papyrus manuscripts. Mistral provided the computing power needed to make it happen. A compelling reminder that AI’s potential reaches far beyond the business world.
Luxembourg shows how digital sovereignty is done
Romain Martin from Luxembourg’s Ministry of Higher Education and Research shared insights from a successful year of collaboration with Mistral AI – with a clear focus on digital sovereignty and on-premise solutions in the public sector. Small countries need to move faster, was the message – and Luxembourg is leading by example. An entrepreneurial mindset applied to government that, according to Thomas, could serve as inspiration for Saarland and Germany as a whole.
Airbus commits to European AI – by conviction
Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury made it clear: Airbus, as a European company, will not compromise its digital sovereignty – which is why it is deepening its partnership with Mistral AI. Practically speaking, AI is being used at Airbus to simulate physics and improve onboard safety. Mistral’s acquisition of Emmi AI, which trains models on physical sensor data, fits neatly into this picture.
Three governments, one goal: AI in the service of citizens
A panel featuring representatives from Sweden, Spain, and Slovakia demonstrated how governments are already putting AI to practical use – from pension forecasting to improved healthcare services. The Slovak representative summed it up bluntly: “If you do not innovate, you cannot stay alive.” For us, this was a sobering moment because Germany was absent from this panel.
SAP and Mistral: a Franco-German AI partnership
An exclusive announcement of the day: SAP is deepening its collaboration with Mistral AI. SAP’s “AI Units” can now also be used for Mistral models. Equally notable was a statement from a Mistral employee: “It frustrates me when Mistral is seen as a French-only company. We are a European company.” A sentiment we wholeheartedly share.
Amazon Alexa+ runs on Mistral
Amazon Alexa+ uses 17 different AI voice models under the hood, one of which is Mistral AI, particularly for processing the French language, idioms, and cultural semantics. A noteworthy insight for anyone working with voice user interfaces and multimodal AI systems.
Takeaway: Europe is moving
The AI Now Summit reinforced that Europe is gaining momentum in AI and digital sovereignty, driven by companies like Mistral AI, partnerships with Airbus and SAP, and forward-thinking governments that are deploying AI pragmatically. Thomas returns with plenty of new ideas and the realization that Saarbrücken as a base for Centigrade makes more sense than ever. When you can be back from Paris before dinner, you’re closer to the heart of Europe than most people think.
Want to learn more about our work in AI transformation and European data governance? Feel free to get in touch.
