The agreement, backed by a €100 million investment, aims to integrate custom-designed AI solutions across the Group’s operations.
Under the partnership
Under the partnership, Mistral AI will station specialists at CMA CGM’s headquarters in Marseille and at Grand Central, the headquarters of CMA Media. These experts will collaborate with CMA CGM’s internal teams to develop and implement AI solutions.
The initiative aligns with CMA CGM’s broader AI strategy, supported by a €500 million commitment, including partnerships with Google and Perplexity, and investments in PoolSide and Dataiku.
Two dedicated units
Two dedicated units will be established: the Mistral AI Factory, based in Marseille, will focus on shipping and logistics, targeting areas such as automated claims processing, e-commerce tools, and document management systems; the AI Media Lab, located at Grand Central, will concentrate on media operations, developing tools like content management and fact-checking systems
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The five-year partnership
The five-year partnership, which will bring CMA CGM‘s AI-related spending to 500 million euros ($550 million), will focus on customer service in shipping and logistics and factchecking at its French media businesses that include news channel BFM TV. In a joint interview with Mistral’s co-founder and CEO Arthur Mensch, CMA CGM’s Chairman and CEO Rodolphe Saade declined to give financial targets for return on investment.
The implementation of initiatives
But Saade said “the implementation of initiatives should not exceed 6 to 12 months” and would slash response times for customer advisers receiving 1 million emails a week, including requests on routing of vessels.
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Mistral gained huge exposure at an international AI gathering in Paris in February, feted by President Emmanuel Macron as a European champion to compete with American giants such as OpenAI, which produces ChatGPT
Mistral AI
Mistral AI is a French startup specializing in generative artificial intelligence, founded in 2023 by former researchers from Meta AI and Google DeepMind, including CEO Arthur Mensch. Based in Paris, the company develops advanced AI models and tools, such as its chatbot “Le Chat” and specialized models like Codestral for coding. Mistral AI has gained recognition as a European contender in the AI sector, securing significant funding, including an initial round in June 2023 where CMA CGM became an investor.
The CMA CGM Group
The CMA CGM Group is a France-based company operating globally in sea, land, air, and logistics solutions. Founded in 1978 by Jacques Saadé and now led by Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and CEO, it ranks as the world’s third-largest container shipping line. Headquartered in Marseille, the Group manages a fleet of vessels and provides logistics services through subsidiaries like CEVA Logistics and CMA CGM Air Cargo. It also owns CMA Media, which operates French media outlets such as BFM TV. In 2024, the company handled over 23 million TEU containers.
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