French DGA to Set Up Europe's Most Powerful Supercomputer to Develop AI-based Products

The French Director General Armaments (DGA) has contracted Hewlett Packard/Orange consortium to deliver a classified supercomputer, the most powerful in Europe to develop artificial intelligence.

The supercomputer, expected to be operational by late 2025 at Mont-Valérien in Suresnes, will support defense innovation by processing sensitive data securely for France's armed forces and defense sector.

The French Ministry of Armed Forces is advancing defense artificial intelligence through a three-pillar strategy: strengthening AI talent, developing an AI ecosystem, and enhancing computing capacity. The Ministry’s AI agency, AMIAD, is building a workforce and expects its 100th engineer soon. To support operations, the Ministry has launched 15 AI centers across departments. Additionally, a new supercomputer will allow specialized training of AI models for defense.

This supercomputer, disconnected from the internet to protect sensitive data, will be maintained by authorized French citizens in compliance with national defense confidentiality. In addition, the Ministry is deploying a conversational agent named "Génial," similar to a defense-focused ChatGPT, to assist Ministry of Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs personnel. The conversational agent is expected to launch by late 2024.

As part of its long-term AI goals, the Ministry will initiate an industrial policy plan on AI supercomputing, aiming to foster research and development on advanced computer architectures and support joint projects in AI innovation. The Directorate General of Armaments will lead this effort, collaborating with the Atomic Energy Commission, the Directorate General of External Security, and other ministry divisions.