ASML Spearheads Record $1.7B Funding Round in Europe’s Premier AI Firm, Mistral AI
Dutch semiconductor equipment titan, ASML, made a groundbreaking announcement on September 9, 2025. The company has invested a staggering €1.3 billion ($1.5 billion) to lead the €1.7 billion Series C funding round of Mistral AI, thereby becoming the largest shareholder in Europe’s most valuable AI company. This investment has catapulted the French startup’s valuation to €11.7 billion ($13.8 billion), more than doubling its previous worth.
ASML’s investment has secured it an 11% stake in Mistral AI, along with a seat on the company’s strategic committee. Chief Financial Officer Roger Dassen will assume this board position. This partnership signifies a strategic collaboration to integrate AI models across ASML’s lithography equipment portfolio, which could potentially accelerate semiconductor manufacturing processes and enhance system performance.
Mistral AI, established in 2023 by ex-Google DeepMind and Meta researchers, has emerged as Europe’s counterpart to OpenAI with its open-source approach to generative AI. The company’s Le Chat chatbot has garnered significant attention, boasting over 1 million downloads within just two weeks of its launch. Other prominent investors in this funding round include Nvidia, DST Global, Andreessen Horowitz, and General Catalyst.
This investment highlights Europe’s drive for AI sovereignty and technological independence, uniting two of the continent’s most significant technology companies in the semiconductor and AI value chain.
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/09/ai-firm-mistral-valued-at-14-billion-as-asml-takes-major-stake.html