Mistral AI Releases Robotics Model to Support Physical AI Push

Mistral AI announced a new robotics navigation model, as the French startup expands in the emerging field of physical artificial intelligence after signing deals with major European industrial customers.

The new model, called Robostral Navigate, lets robots navigate complex environments using a single camera and basic language prompts, Mistral said in a statement Wednesday. It is hardware agnostic, meaning the model can be deployed on any robot fleet, and was trained entirely through simulation, according to the company.

In May, Mistral said it was expanding into advanced manufacturing, striking deals with new customers Airbus SE and BMW AG. The Paris-based startup offers AI models and computing infrastructure to corporate clients, and increasingly aims to apply AI to industrial engineering processes including design, simulation and quality control.

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Founded in 2023 by researchers from Google DeepMind and Meta Platforms Inc., Mistral positions itself as Europe’s answer to Silicon Valley’s dominance in AI. The company is an infrastructure provider that works with European governments and companies seeking sovereign solutions, and is building cloud-computing facilities it will manage in France and Sweden.

Mistral is in talks to raise around €3 billion ($3.4 billion) at a €20 billion valuation, Bloomberg News reported last month. It was last valued at €11.7 billion in a September funding round.