The Iliad Group, a prominent player in the telecommunications sector, is making a significant leap into the realm of artificial intelligence by pledging an impressive $3 billion towards AI-centric infrastructure enhancement. The investment aims to bolster sectors related to AI infrastructure, including data centers, computing resources, and research. This ambitious venture highlights the increasing trend of telecom companies investing deeply in the AI landscape.
A noteworthy component of this initiative is OpCore, a subsidiary of the Iliad Group that will invest around €2.5 billion to solidify its standing as a European leader in hyperscale data centers. These centers are essential for supplying AI computing resources. In alignment with this goal, Iliad has partnered with InfraVia, a leading European private equity firm, to secure substantial megawatts of capacity and eventually scale up to gigawatts of resources throughout Europe.
Through its B2B cloud provision arm, Scaleway, the Iliad Group has achieved a remarkable milestone by offering one of the most significant AI computing capacities available in Europe. With approximately 5,000 high-performance GPUs, companies can develop and deploy AI models efficiently. Scaleway is revered by top AI firms such as Mistral AI and Photoroom. This platform makes premier open-source AI models like Llama and DeepSeek accessible in a secure cloud environment.
Further cementing its AI commitment, Free, a subsidiary of Iliad, has introduced “le Chat Pro” by Mistral AI. This development establishes Free as the first telecom operator in France offering a premium AI assistant to subscribers at no additional cost for a year. This move exemplifies the growing integration of AI technologies in customer service and user experience enhancement.
Venturing beyond commercial pursuits, Iliad co-founded Kyutai, Europe’s first nonprofit AI research lab emphasizing open science. Launched with a commitment of €100 million, Kyutai is making significant inroads into AI innovation. Notably, it unveiled Moshi, an open-source voice AI model, and Hibiki, a voice translation technology, showcasing the lab’s potential in advancing AI accessibility.
France itself is emerging as a pivotal hub for AI innovation. The country has paired with the United Arab Emirates to forge investments between €30 to 50 billion in an enormous AI data center and related AI projects. While still in its planning stages, this collaborative effort also aims to nurture talent and foster AI advancements. French and Emirati collaboration signifies increasing international investments aimed at amplifying AI capabilities and infrastructure.
