A new non-profit laboratory dedicated to open research in artificial intelligence (AI) has been founded by the iliad Group, the CMA CGM Group, and Schmidt Futures. Kyutai, a venture that aims to tackle the main challenges of modern AI, has already brought on board a team of researchers with academic and business backgrounds.

The iliad Group and the CMA CGM Group have each contributed $110 million to fund the research laboratory, while Schmidt Futures has also joined as a co-founder, forging a strong partnership based on a shared commitment to this project.

Kyutai’s objective is to develop large multimodal models and invent new algorithms to enhance their capacities, reliability, and efficiency. Europe’s leading experts in AI are joining forces at Kyutai to address these challenges head-on.

Rodolphe Saadé, President and CEO of the CMA CGM Group said: “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.”

Xavier Niel, Chairman and Founder of the iliad Group commented: “Europe’s got everything it takes to win the AI race. French researchers are known as being some of the best in the world. We have all