Airbus picks Scaleway for AI and defence work as Europe pushes for digital sovereignty

Airbus picks Iliad's Scaleway for AI, defence work in sovereignty push

July 16 (Reuters) - Airbus (AIR.PA), opens new tab said on Thursday it had signed a multi-year agreement with Iliad-owned Scaleway to provide cloud infrastructure for sensitive industrial and defence applications, supporting the deployment of AI tools developed with French startup Mistral. The European planemaker said Scaleway would host critical applications spanning aircraft design, engineering, industrial production and corporate operations. Airbus signed a partnership with Mistral in May to co-develop customised AI tools for ⁠aerospace and defence. "The fact that the Mistral models are already deployed on Scaleway infrastructure will allow us to accelerate our AI approach," Airbus Chief Digital Officer Catherine Jestin told reporters. Airbus plans to use Mistral's technology for military applications and certified aviation systems, areas where the company wants European partners to handle intellectual property, research and development, and sensitive data. DIGITAL SOVEREIGNTY Jestin said Airbus selected Scaleway after assessing more than 150 technical ⁠and legal requirements. "The second set of criteria concerned legal requirements, in particular the much-discussed protection against the kill switch and against the application of extraterritorial laws," she said. European governments and companies have increasingly focused on digital sovereignty as AI ⁠becomes embedded in critical infrastructure, defence and industrial operations. The European Commission last month proposed a Cloud and AI Development Act aimed at expanding domestic ⁠cloud and computing capacity. Airbus will migrate around 70 critical applications to Scaleway by the end of 2028, with the broader programme potentially ⁠covering up to 900 applications over the next five to six years. Airbus did not disclose the value of the agreement. Reporting by Gianluca Lo Nostro and Leo Marchandon in Gdansk; editing by Matt Scuffham Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab * Suggested Topics: * Artificial Intelligence * Data Privacy Leo Marchandon Thomson Reuters Leo's stories appear regularly on the technology and media desk, with a particular focus on France, Ukraine, and Europe's tech build up. He has reported extensively on major players across media & entertainment, artificial intelligence, and digital regulations. A background in tech-related law, Leo started his journalism career in Bordeaux, where he covered the full spectrum of the technology beat, from AI and spacetech to payment systems and regulations. He is now based in Gdansk, covering business, tech and entertainment news across Europe with Reuters. Gianluca Lo Nostro Thomson Reuters Gianluca's stories appear regularly on the business and technology section, with a particular focus on France and its efforts to compete with global rivals. He has reported extensively on connectivity and the geopolitics behind it in the war in Ukraine. A background in international studies, Gianluca started his journalism career in Milan and has covered French general and political news with Reuters in Paris.

Airbus picks Iliad's Scaleway for AI, defence work in sovereignty push

Airbus will use Scaleway's cloud infrastructure for sensitive industrial and defense applications. This partnership supports the deployment of artificial intelligence tools developed with French startup Mistral. Critical applications spanning aircraft design and engineering will be hosted on Scaleway's platform. Airbus aims to accelerate its AI approach by leveraging Mistral models on this European infrastructure. The planemaker will migrate approximately 70 applications to Scaleway by the end of 2028. Airbus said on Thursday it had signed a multi-year agreement with Iliad-owned Scaleway to provide cloud infrastructure for sensitive industrial and defence applications, supporting the deployment of AI tools developed with French startup Mistral. The European planemaker said Scaleway would host ⁠critical applications ⁠spanning aircraft design, engineering, industrial production and corporate operations. Airbus signed a partnership with Mistral in May to co-develop customised AI tools for aerospace and defence. "The fact that the Mistral models are already deployed on Scaleway infrastructure will allow us to accelerate our AI approach," Airbus Chief Digital Officer Catherine ⁠Jestin told reporters. Airbus plans to use Mistral's technology for military applications and certified aviation systems, areas where the company ⁠wants European partners to handle intellectual property, research and development, and sensitive data. DIGITAL SOVEREIGNTYJestin said Airbus selected Scaleway after assessing more than 150 technical and legal requirements. "The second set of criteria concerned legal requirements, in particular the much-discussed protection against the kill switch and against the application of extraterritorial laws," she said. European governments and companies have increasingly focused on digital sovereignty as AI becomes embedded in critical infrastructure, defence and industrial operations. The European Commission last ⁠month proposed a Cloud and AI Development Act aimed at expanding domestic cloud and computing capacity. Airbus will migrate around 70 critical applications to Scaleway by the end of 2028, with the broader programme potentially covering up to 900 applications over the next five to six years. Airbus did not disclose the value of the agreement.