BMW bets on French AI Mistral for its virtual crash tests

BMW partners with the French start-up Mistral AI to utilize artificial intelligence to accelerate and improve its automotive collision simulations.

BMW has officially announced a strategic partnership with the French company Mistral AI to advance the collision simulations used during the development of its future models. Through this collaboration, the German manufacturer aims to enhance the speed, accuracy, and efficiency of its virtual crash tests. Every week, BMW conducts several thousand digital simulations to assess the behavior of vehicles and materials in the event of an accident. This activity generates a colossal volume of technical data: over one petabyte of archives dedicated to collision simulations.

For BMW Group, the goal is now to leverage this vast database with the help of specialized artificial intelligence. “By combining our engineering database with Mistral AI’s model training capabilities, we are developing a specialized AI that supports complex development tasks,” explains Dr. Franz Decker, Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President of the BMW Group.

Virtual Solutions for Real Safety

The project is based on “Large Industry Models” (LIM), AI models specifically trained from industrial data derived from automotive development and safety testing. Unlike general-purpose artificial intelligences, these systems directly incorporate the technical constraints unique to automotive engineering.

For Mistral AI, this partnership illustrates the rise of AI applied to industry. “This collaboration shows how sector-specific AI models can help solve complex technical challenges such as collision simulation,” emphasizes Marjorie Janiewicz, CFO of the French company.

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