Meta is extending the AI Startup Program in Europe. This program highlights the innovation potential and the growing influence that American tech companies have on the artificial intelligence (AI).
Five startups will be selected to receive mentorship, tools, and computing power. The program is run in partnership by AI platform Hugging Face, and cloud provider Scaleway. While supporters of the initiative tout its potential to accelerate European AI, the program raises questions regarding data privacy and long-term independence for the continent’s tech industry.
The program will run from September 20,24 to February 20,25 and is based on the STATION F campus in Paris. It is open to all applicants within the European Union. The selected startups will work in Meta’s Fundamental Artificial Intelligence Research lab (FAIR) and gain access to open source AI models such as Llama.
Marco Pancini is the head of EU affairs for Meta. He described the program as a continuation of the company’s commitment towards open innovation. “For more that a decade, Meta has been at the forefront of open innovation in AI. We’ve seen the impact our publicly available state-of-the-art AI models can have on a broader community,” said Pancini in a press release.
The first cohort of the program, launched in 2023 supported startups in robotics and retail technology. Pollen Robotics is using Meta’s Llama models and Segment Anywhere models to create an open-source robot platform. Fringuant is developing body scanner technology for fashion retailers. Qevlar is focusing on cybersecurity.
Clement Delangue Clement Delangue is the CEO of Hugging face. In a news release, Clement Delangue cited the program as proof of “Europe’s incredible AI talents and their enthusiasm for open and collaborative innovation.”
The program expansion is a response to Europe’s desire to establish itself as an innovator in AI while navigating the complex relationships with Big Tech. The Meta-led AI program could accelerate European AI, leading to breakthroughs across various sectors. It also highlights the region’s dependence on American tech expertise.
Scaleway’s participation adds an element of European to the initiative. The company offers high-performance computing resources that allow startups to keep their data within EU borders. Damien Lucas, Scaleway CEO, stated in the press release that “their cluster of several thousand H100 GPUs are Europe’s biggest, which means startups can reach new levels of innovation while keeping data within the continent .”
As the deadline for applications on Aug. 16 approaches, the program has attracted interest from European startups. In the press release, Roxanne Varaz, STATION F’s director, noted that Meta’s program “quickly” became one of the campus’ most popular programs .”
The selected participants will receive valuable resources and mentoring, but it remains to be seen what impact they will have on Europe’s AI eco-system in the long term. Programs like this are likely to continue to be scrutinized and praised as Europe navigates the complex landscape of AI innovations.
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