Europe’s first AI open science independent research lab, co-founded also by CMA CGM
Kyutai, the first European private-initiative laboratory dedicated to open research in artificial intelligence, was launched last week at Station F (Paris) in the presence of its scientific team and its three co-founders, Xavier Niel, Rodolphe Saadé and Eric Schmidt.
Kyutai is a non-profit laboratory entirely dedicated to open research in artificial intelligence (AI). Its objective is to tackle the main challenges of modern AI, particularly by developing large multimodal models – using text but also sound, images, etc. – and by inventing new algorithms to enhance their capacities, reliability and efficiency. To do this, the laboratory will use the computing power made available to it by Scaleway, an iliad Group subsidiary. Scaleway’s supercomputer has the highest-performance computing power for AI applications deployed to date in Europe.
Resolutely committed to the democratization 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. It has already brought on board a team of researchers with outstanding academic and business backgrounds. Kyutai 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.
A private, non-profit initiative
Kyutai 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. Schmidt Futures has also joined as a co-founder, forging a strong partnership based on a shared commitment to this project.
With nearly €300 million already invested in it, Kyutai is seeking to bring other private investors on board. The co-founders are inviting other entities to join them to provide long-term financing for the work of this non-profit organization.
Rodolphe Saadé, President and CEO of the CMA CGM Group: “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. 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.”
Original article HERE
Image source: cmacgm-group.com