Samsung backs Mistral at $24 billion days after French AI firm signs Côte d’Ivoire deal

• French AI firm Mistral raised €3 billion at a €21 billion valuation for model research.
• This follows an agreement to assess AI integration in Côte d’Ivoire’s public services.
• The €3 billion funding is separate and not a direct investment in Côte d’Ivoire.
• The partnership's success requires navigating Ivorian data sovereignty and language adaptation.

French artificial-intelligence company Mistral has raised €3 billion at a valuation of approximately €21 billion, or $24 billion, weeks after signing an agreement to explore the use of its technology in Côte d’Ivoire.

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Samsung Electronics, existing investor PSG Equity and the European Union-backed Scaleup Europe Fund jointly led the financing, Reuters reported on September 8.

Mistral described the transaction as the largest equity funding round completed by a privately owned European technology company.

Its valuation places it among Europe’s most valuable private technology businesses as governments and investors attempt to build alternatives to American companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic.

The new financing is separate from Mistral’s agreement with Côte d’Ivoire. No part of the €3 billion has been committed publicly to the West African country.

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However, the proximity of the two developments gives Côte d’Ivoire a direct connection to one of Europe’s largest artificial-intelligence investments.

    **What Mistral agreed to do in Côte d’Ivoire**

Côte d’Ivoire’s Ministry of Digital Transition and Technological Innovation signed its partnership with Mistral in Abidjan on August 17, according to an official government account published on September 1.

The initial work will involve an assessment of Côte d’Ivoire’s artificial-intelligence ecosystem, including its available data, digital infrastructure, institutions and technical skills.

Mistral is expected to work with Artefact Côte d’Ivoire to identify possible applications in public administration, healthcare, education, agriculture and other public services.

The exercise forms part of Côte d’Ivoire’s 2026–2028 Digital Roadmap, which contains 40 priority projects.

For now, the agreement is principally an assessment and planning exercise. The government has not disclosed its cost, implementation timetable or any commitment by Mistral to construct a data centre, establish a permanent office or employ local engineers.

    **Why the funding matters**

Mistral says it has more than 125 customers and expects its annual recurring revenue to reach approximately $1 billion by the end of 2026.

The company intends to use the €3 billion to develop more powerful models and finance frontier research. That gives it more resources to compete for government and corporate customers outside Europe.

Côte d’Ivoire could benefit if the agreement moves beyond advice and produces locally useful systems. Artificial intelligence could help authorities process administrative documents, analyse agricultural information or support overstretched public services.

But the arrangement also raises important questions about control of government data, computing infrastructure and dependence on a foreign technology supplier.

If Ivorian data are processed on servers outside the country, officials will need to determine which laws govern their storage and how sensitive public information is protected. Language is another consideration, systems designed mainly for European users may require additional training before they can perform reliably in French and local Ivorian languages.