This announcement is expected to take place after a second meeting with Moroccan officials, following the success of the first meeting last Friday, during which a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed with Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni, Minister Delegate to the Head of Government, in charge of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform.
“This future R&D center should be carried out in collaboration with public authorities and Moroccan private companies and will cover several major AI topics for the continent,” our source continues, emphasizing the African ambition of the project.
On Friday, September 12, the Ministry of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Arthur Mensch, co-founder and CEO of Mistral AI. The meeting was also attended by other Moroccan ministers, including Ryad Mezzour, Minister of Industry and Trade, and Mohammed Mehdi Bensaïd, Minister of Youth, Culture, and Communication.
This agreement provides for four key points:
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The development of local AI skills through training, applied research, and knowledge sharing;
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The emergence of startups and industrial projects based on sovereign AI solutions tailored to the needs of Moroccan companies;
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The promotion of an ethical, inclusive, and responsible use of AI, ensuring data protection and citizen trust;
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The strengthening of Morocco’s role as a regional and African reference platform in artificial intelligence and digital innovation.
Through these agreements, Morocco, which recently announced the construction of a data center in Dakhla dedicated to AI, hopes to benefit from Mistral AI’s expertise to accelerate its technological investment program in this field. Several sectors are expected to benefit from these investments, such as energy, logistics and transportation, agriculture, etc. For Mistral AI, such a partnership with a state actor strengthens its credibility, confirming the rise of a startup that has become a leading player in Europe.
Valued at 12 billion euros, Mistral AI recently raised 1.7 billion euros with ASML joining its capital. In two years, the Paris-based startup has established itself as Europe’s great hope in artificial intelligence against the American and Chinese giants.
Written in French by Zakaria Choukrallah, edited in English by Eric Nielson
