CMA CGM behind launch of AI lab start-up

Kyutai is a non-profit laboratory entirely dedicated to open research in AI. Its objective is to tackle the main challenges of modern AI by inventing new algorithms to enhance their capacities, reliability and efficiency.

“Through this new investment in artificial intelligence, I would like the younger generation to benefit from all the opportunities that this technology has to offer. Thanks to Kyutai, researchers will have all the resources they need to create and invent the world of tomorrow. It’s a venture that will bring together the world’s best experts to address the challenges of AI,” said Rodolphe Saadé, president and CEO of the CMA CGM Group and one of Kyutai’s founders.

“The CMA CGM Group’s decision to get involved was also driven by a desire to place France and the rest of Europe at the forefront of artificial intelligence research. We need to create a dynamic and innovative ecosystem to keep our businesses competitive. Joining forces is the best way to prepare for the future.”

The future of AI

The laboratory will use the computing power made available to it by Scaleway, an iliad Group subsidiary. Scaleway’s supercomputer apparently has the highest-performance computing power for AI applications deployed to date in Europe.

”Resolutely committed to the democratisation of AI”, Kyutai is positioning itself as a leading player in AI open science. Its ambition is to share its advances with the entire AI ecosystem – the scientific community, developers, companies, society at large and decision-makers in democracies.

Kyutai sais it will also contribute to the training of future AI experts, by offering internships to students on Master’s programs and supervising PhD students and postdocs.

It was founded jointly by the iliad Group, the CMA CGM Group and Schmidt Futures.

The iliad Group and the CMA CGM Group have each contributed €100 million to funding the research laboratory. With nearly €300 million already invested in it, Kyutai is now seeking to bring other private investors on board.