Orange unit signs deal to Mistral's latest AI cybersecurity model

Oct 29 (Reuters) - French telecom group Orange's digital security arm on Thursday announced a partnership with Mistral AI to equip its products with a cybersecurity variant of the startup's latest AI model.

The deal gives Orange Cyberdefense, one of Europe's largest cybersecurity providers, access to a European AI model at a time when the industry grapples with hackers using AI to launch increased attacks on a greater scale. 

• Orange will rely on computing capacity located in Europe to run models dedicated to its cybersecurity operations, the company said.

• The rollout will be gradual and, at first, limited to select services Orange provides to corporate and public-sector clients.

• The company's initial focus is on testing clients' defenses to find vulnerabilities before attackers do, and on investigating breaches faster once they occur.

• Orange Cyberdefense reported €1.3 billion ($1.45 billion) in revenue in 2025. Financial terms were not disclosed.

($1 = 0.8971 euros)

(Reporting by Leo Marchandon in Gdansk; Editing by Leroy Leo)