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Analysis

October 7, 2026

Aleph Alpha and Mistral releases raise hopes for Europe’s sovereign AI ambitions

The German and French companies released new models this week, with observers saying Europe now has two contenders in the open-weight AI race


With a surprise release from Germany’s one-time OpenAI challenger Aleph Alpha, and a new “state-of-the-art” model unveiled by French champion Mistral, hopes are high in Europe that the region is finally seeing several credible players emerge to compete in the AI race.

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Daphné Leprince-Ringuet

Daphné Leprince-Ringuet is a senior reporter for Sifted, based in Paris. She covers French tech and writes Sifted's AI and Deeptech newsletter . You can find her on X and LinkedIn

Anne Sraders

Anne Sraders is a senior reporter at Sifted, based in Berlin. She covers the VC industry and deeptech startups. She also writes Sifted's weekly VC newsletter Up Round. Follow her on X and LinkedIn

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