TotalEnergies, one of the world’s leading energy companies, has announced a new strategic partnership with French artificial intelligence startup Mistral to develop advanced digital tools aimed at transforming the company’s operations. This collaboration seeks to enhance performance across TotalEnergies’ industrial assets, optimize energy use, and reduce its overall environmental footprint.

On Thursday, the French energy major revealed that its work with Mistral has already begun, with active collaboration between teams at their respective sites. However, the initiative does not include the construction of a dedicated research lab, as confirmed by a TotalEnergies spokesperson.

AI-Driven Transformation in the Energy Sector

Through this partnership, Mistral will assist TotalEnergies in developing a sophisticated AI-powered assistant designed to help streamline project development, inform operational decisions across industrial sites, and reduce emissions. Additionally, the AI tools are expected to support improved customer service by offering personalized energy-saving solutions.

TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanné emphasized the broader impact of the partnership, stating:
“AI has huge potential to transform energy systems. This deal reflects our intention to contribute to the emergence of a technological ecosystem in Europe.”

The agreement highlights TotalEnergies’ ambition to lead not just in energy production but also in digital innovation, especially in how AI can be harnessed to meet climate goals while improving efficiency and profitability.

Europe’s First AI Reasoning Model Launched

The announcement follows closely on the heels of a major milestone for Mistral. Earlier this week, the Paris-based startup launched Europe’s first AI reasoning model—an advanced language system designed to deliver logically sound responses. This innovation signals Mistral’s growing stature in the global AI landscape, putting it in competition with leading tech firms in the United States and China.

The timing of this partnership demonstrates TotalEnergies’ strategic intent to align with homegrown AI capabilities, supporting European technological sovereignty in a field increasingly dominated by international giants.

Long-Term AI Engagement and Vision

This isn’t TotalEnergies’ first foray into artificial intelligence. The company has formally engaged with external AI firms since 2022, when it launched a comprehensive innovation program targeting improvements in its electricity business.

These initiatives have included:

• Algorithmic Predictive Maintenance: Using AI to anticipate and prevent faults in wind turbines, thereby reducing downtime and increasing reliability.

• Electricity Trading Optimization: Employing advanced weather modeling and machine learning to enhance energy market decisions.

• Digital Planning of Renewable Projects: Using AI to create more precise, data-driven designs for wind and solar farms.

TotalEnergies has also conducted internal trials of Microsoft’s AI assistant, Copilot. During a six-month pilot program, employees were given access to test various applications of the conversational AI tool. CEO Pouyanné discussed the initiative during the AI Action Summit in Paris earlier this year, noting that the trials provided insights into how such technology could be deployed more widely within the organization.

Strengthening European Innovation

The partnership with Mistral further demonstrates TotalEnergies’ commitment to advancing AI capabilities within Europe. By collaborating with a French startup that is pushing the boundaries of generative AI, Total is both investing in local innovation and reducing dependency on foreign technologies.

This approach aligns with broader European policy goals aimed at nurturing homegrown tech champions and securing digital independence. As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly vital to strategic sectors like energy, logistics, and infrastructure, fostering regional ecosystems is seen as crucial to maintaining economic resilience.

Environmental Impact and Operational Efficiency

One of the most compelling aspects of the partnership lies in its environmental implications. TotalEnergies plans to deploy AI not merely for automation or productivity gains but to meet its carbon reduction targets. By applying AI to optimize industrial operations, the company expects to reduce emissions at a much faster and more accurate rate than traditional methods would allow.

The AI assistant currently in development with Mistral is expected to analyze operational data in real-time, offer decision-making support, and recommend emission-reducing strategies. These functions could be especially useful in refining, petrochemical, and power-generation sites—areas where efficiency gains have direct environmental benefits.

Future Outlook: Digital, Decentralized, and Decarbonized

As the energy sector navigates a complex transition toward renewables and net-zero targets, digital technologies like AI are set to play a central role. TotalEnergies’ move to partner with Mistral positions the company at the intersection of this transformation—one that is digital, decentralized, and increasingly focused on decarbonization.

This collaboration signals that the future of energy lies not just in physical infrastructure like solar panels and wind turbines, but also in intelligent systems capable of making sense of vast data streams, optimizing performance, and adapting to dynamic market and environmental conditions.

With this initiative, TotalEnergies reinforces its commitment to innovation, operational excellence, and environmental stewardship—while also contributing to Europe’s emerging AI and technology leadership.