Cisco will open a brand new World AI Hub in Paris to develop safe, energy-efficient infrastructure, prepare 230,000 in AI expertise, and enhance France’s AI startup ecosystem, together with assist for native startup and Cisco companion Mistral AI.
Sovereign AI infra – Cisco will open a Paris-based AI hub centered on safe, energy-efficient infrastructure and superior information heart cooling.
Digital expertise faculty – The corporate goals to coach 230,000 individuals in AI and digital expertise throughout France over the following three years.
Ecosystem assist – Cisco expands backing for French AI companies, together with Mistral AI, aligning with wider nationwide and worldwide tech funding tendencies.
Cisco has introduced plans to determine a brand new world AI hub (World AI Hub) in France, as a part of a broader set of initiatives to assist synthetic intelligence (AI) growth and digital expertise coaching within the nation. The announcement was made through the Select France Summit in Paris.
The brand new hub, to be situated in Paris, will concentrate on growing safe and energy-efficient AI-ready infrastructure. It’ll additionally embrace a world heart of experience for superior information heart cooling applied sciences. Along with the hub, Cisco mentioned it should prepare 230,000 individuals in digital and AI-related expertise throughout France over the following three years. The corporate’s Networking Academy has already educated almost 400,000 people in France since its launch in 2001, by a community of greater than 500 academies.
Cisco additionally intends to extend its assist for French startups working in areas resembling AI, quantum computing, and digital infrastructure. This contains ongoing collaboration with Mistral AI, a Paris-based AI agency. In February 2025, the 2 corporations introduced their first collectively developed AI agent, following Mistral AI’s inclusion in Cisco’s $1 billion AI funding fund.
The transfer aligns with a broader wave of funding in France’s AI ecosystem. Microsoft not too long ago dedicated $4.3 billion to broaden its AI and cloud operations within the nation by 2027. That features offering as much as 25,000 GPUs and coaching a million individuals in AI-related expertise.
French President Emmanuel Macron has additionally outlined plans to appeal to €109 billion in AI-related investments, together with €20 billion from Canadian investor Brookfield and a possible €50 billion from the United Arab Emirates.
Chuck Robbins, chair and chief government at Cisco, mentioned: “The AI revolution is reshaping the world… With high expertise, sturdy infrastructure, and a vibrant ecosystem, France is well-positioned to paved the way, and Cisco’s investments in AI and expertise throughout Europe will assist unlock the continent’s full potential.”