TotalEnergies and Mistral AI Launch Strategic Collaboration to Advance AI in Energy Transition
TotalEnergies, a global energy leader, and French AI pioneer Mistral AI have announced a strategic collaboration to harness the transformative power of artificial intelligence (AI) in advancing TotalEnergies’ multi-energy strategy, with a strong focus on low-carbon and renewable energy solutions. The partnership reflects a shared vision to use cutting-edge AI technologies to accelerate innovation, improve energy efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and enhance customer experience.
Establishing a Joint AI Innovation Lab
At the heart of this collaboration is the creation of a joint innovation lab, where multidisciplinary teams from both TotalEnergies and Mistral AI will work together to design, test, and implement AI-driven solutions across the energy value chain. This lab will serve as a dynamic R&D hub, drawing on Mistral AI’s capabilities in developing advanced generative AI models and TotalEnergies’ deep expertise in energy production, particularly in renewables and low-carbon technologies.
The initial focus of the lab will be on several high-impact use cases that align with TotalEnergies’ sustainability goals and operational needs:
- AI Assistant for Researchers: The lab will develop a sophisticated digital assistant tailored for TotalEnergies’ 1,000 in-house researchers. This assistant will provide support in conducting complex research tasks, analyzing scientific data, and accelerating innovation in clean energy technologies. By augmenting human expertise, the tool aims to expedite the development of low-carbon energy solutions while reducing the company’s environmental footprint.
- Decision Support Systems for Industrial Assets: AI-powered decision-support tools will be created to optimize the performance of TotalEnergies’ global network of industrial facilities. These tools will be designed to increase operational efficiency, reduce downtime, and help decrease CO₂ emissions by enhancing predictive maintenance and process optimization.
- Customer-Facing AI Solutions: The lab will also design AI applications focused on improving the customer experience. These solutions will provide personalized energy-saving recommendations, enhance service delivery, and help customers better understand and manage their energy consumption.
- AI for Renewable Energy Optimization: Beyond these core applications, the innovation lab will explore AI’s role in enhancing the production and integration of renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind. These technologies often face challenges related to intermittency, forecasting, and grid integration—areas where AI can offer significant improvements.
Exploring Digital Sovereignty and Infrastructure
Recognizing the growing importance of digital sovereignty in Europe, TotalEnergies and Mistral AI will jointly assess the feasibility of integrating European-based AI infrastructure into TotalEnergies’ operations. This includes exploring the use of localized data processing, European cloud providers, and secure AI models that align with the region’s data protection and privacy regulations. This step reflects both companies’ commitment to building a resilient, sovereign digital ecosystem in Europe.
TotalEnergies’ Expanding AI Ambitions
The partnership with Mistral AI marks a significant expansion of TotalEnergies’ use of artificial intelligence, which has evolved over the past decade from targeted applications in geosciences and maintenance to a broad-based, strategic pillar of the company’s transformation.
Previously, TotalEnergies leveraged AI primarily in subsurface exploration and predictive maintenance, using algorithms to anticipate equipment failures, optimize operations, and ensure safety across its industrial platforms. Today, AI is viewed as a core enabler of the company’s broader energy transition strategy.
TotalEnergies’ internal Digital Factory, celebrating its fifth anniversary in 2025, plays a central role in this digital evolution. With a team of more than 300 digital experts—including data scientists, AI engineers, and software developers—the Digital Factory has already produced over 100 AI and digital tools, 60 of which are based on machine learning, deep learning, and generative AI technologies. These innovations span energy optimization, carbon footprint tracking, supply chain improvements, and customer-facing platforms.
Executive Perspectives
Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies, emphasized the strategic importance of the collaboration:
“We are delighted to work with Mistral AI, a leading French player in artificial intelligence. This deal reflects our intention to contribute to the emergence of a technological ecosystem in Europe and will allow us to explore new opportunities to further embed AI into our activities. AI has huge potential to transform energy systems, and this partnership was motivated by our pioneering spirit and ongoing search for innovation.”
Arthur Mensch, CEO of Mistral AI, also highlighted the sectoral significance of the partnership:
“This partnership illustrates the positive impact generative AI can have on a sector as strategic as that of TotalEnergies. By dedicating our AI solutions and experts to the R&D effort, the operational teams and, ultimately, the Company’s customers, we are contributing to improved operations and the digital transition of this global energy giant.”
Broader Implications for the Energy Sector
This collaboration represents more than a corporate alliance; it signals a broader trend of convergence between energy and digital technology sectors. As the world accelerates toward decarbonization and energy systems grow more complex and decentralized, AI is poised to play a central role in enabling the transition.
From enhancing grid stability to optimizing distributed energy resources and forecasting renewable output, AI-driven tools are becoming critical to the design, operation, and management of modern energy infrastructures. Partnerships like that of TotalEnergies and Mistral AI are helping set the pace, defining how AI can be responsibly and strategically embedded across the energy ecosystem.
Moreover, as Europe places increasing emphasis on digital sovereignty and homegrown technological capabilities, the development of AI applications within a European context—as opposed to relying solely on U.S. or Asian platforms—could ensure greater resilience, transparency, and regulatory compliance in the digital transition.
The establishment of this AI innovation lab signals a long-term commitment by both companies to continuous innovation. As AI technologies mature and become increasingly sophisticated, the scope of collaboration is expected to expand into additional areas such as:
- Real-time energy trading optimization
- Advanced carbon accounting and lifecycle assessment
- AI-enabled climate risk forecasting
- Autonomous energy systems and smart grids
- Intelligent mobility and electrification services
In doing so, TotalEnergies and Mistral AI aim not only to improve their respective capabilities but also to contribute to shaping a more sustainable, efficient, and digitally empowered energy future.
