Nvidia backs French AI companies

American chipmaker Nvidia announced minority investments in four French technology companies on Tuesday, including medical appointment platform Doctolib, to expand in Europe's artificial intelligence sector.

Huang's European AI push

Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang announced the plans in Paris on Tuesday, saying they were intended to launch the artificial intelligence revolution in Europe.

“launch the artificial intelligence revolution in Europe”

Doctolib gets Nvidia backing

Doctolib, valued at three point six billion euros in its last funding round, allows patients to book medical appointments and store health records. Nvidia becomes a minority shareholder without a board seat.

Doctolib's AI ambitions

Doctolib chief executive Stanislas Niox-Château said the investment would accelerate recruitment and development of the company's in-house artificial intelligence models for patient and medical staff assistants.

Keeping data independent

Doctolib will use Nvidia's chips, computing capacity and open software while seeking to retain control of its models and patient data rather than relying on US AI providers such as OpenAI or Anthropic.

Research programme raises concerns

Doctolib launched a research programme in August using data from its fifty million users to improve patient pathways, a move criticised by rights groups for risks of discrimination and abusive profiling.

Rights groups warn on health data

The Ligue des droits de l'Homme warned that health data containing diagnoses, medical treatments and health histories carries significant risk of stigmatisation, discrimination and abusive profiling.

“health data... containing details of diagnoses, medical treatments and health histories, carry a significant risk of stigmatisation, discrimination and abusive profiling”

Three more French AI firms backed

Nvidia also announced investments in Genesis AI, a Franco-American robotics start-up; Pigment, which develops AI-assisted business planning software; and Entalpic, which uses generative AI to discover new industrial materials.

Nvidia's European spending plans

Huang said Nvidia invested at least eight billion dollars in Europe last year and plans to spend a further two billion dollars this year across the continent.

Macron backs Nvidia's French commitment

Huang met President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysée Palace to discuss Nvidia's investments in France's AI ecosystem. Macron wrote that France is Europe's most attractive country for artificial intelligence.

“France is Europe's most attractive country for artificial intelligence”