Airbus, BMW Select AI Partner
Airbus announced it has a partnership agreement with Mistral AI to expand its use of artificial intelligence across its commercial aircraft, helicopter, defense and space businesses. The goal, according to the aerospace group, is “cutting-edge, ethical, and trustworthy AI at the core of Airbus operations and processes, from initial design to on-board capabilities.”
Mistral AI is a start-up developer of large language models and generative AI systems, emphasizing open and customizable AI models, flexible deployment options, and “European digital sovereignty.” It struck a separate partnership agreement with BMW Group, to develop AI models based on the automaker’s datasets and engineering resources. It intends to use Mistral’s AI models to analyze large volumes of crash simulation data, “to improve the speed, accuracy, and quality of engineering workflows.”
BMW Group chief information officer Dr. Franz Decker said: “By combining our engineering datasets with Mistral AI’s model training capabilities, we are building specialized AI which supports complex development tasks.”
"The most important use cases for AI are located in research and development and the creation of physical objects," Mistral AI CEO Arthur Mensch explained at an AI conference in Paris.
The Airbus announcement offered that it plans to use Mistral AI’s suite of AI technologies, including on-premises systems and cloud environments, and it will work with Mistral AI researchers to develop customized solutions for aerospace applications.
Airbus described some projects already in progress that include automating technical documentation, accelerating engineering and design processes using AI-driven simulations, developing onboard AI capabilities for aircraft and spacecraft, and supporting defense applications such as cyber investigations and coding assistance.
“Thanks to the high-performance models and made-to-measure support of Mistral AI experts, we are building the foundations necessary to power our current and future products and services, enabling us to serve our customers better,” according to Airbus EVP - Digital Catherine Jestin.