Airbus has signed a major partnership with French AI startup Mistral AI to integrate artificial intelligence across its aviation, defense, and space operations.
Under the agreement, Airbus gains access to Mistral’s full product suite and research teams, enabling custom AI tools for complex aerospace projects. The focus is on "trusted" and "secure" AI for sensitive defense applications, such as onboard aircraft systems, cyber investigations, and automated technical documentation.
BMW also announced a separate partnership with Mistral AI on the same day, aimed at improving crash simulations and vehicle development. The German automaker will train AI on its vast archive of over one petabyte of historical crash simulation data to speed up safety testing and engineering workflows.
These deals come as European companies seek alternatives to US-based AI providers over concerns about data sovereignty and security.