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Mistral, now the top-funded startup in European history, recently garnered significant attention with its new release from AI enthusiasts on platforms like X and LinkedIn. The French company is focused on developing open-source AI models and large language models (LLMs).
Last week, Mistral unveiled its latest model, Mixtral 8x7B. This model, which uses a “mixture of experts” technique, was released online as a torrent, without any explanations, blog posts, or demo videos.
Today, Mistral published more details about Mixtral 8x7B in a blog post, highlighting its performance that matches or surpasses OpenAI’s GPT-3.5 and Meta’s Llama 2. The company also revealed that it received technical support from CoreWeave and Scaleway during training. Mixtral 8x7B is available for commercial use under an Apache 2.0 license.
Early adopters have already downloaded Mixtral 8x7B and tested its capabilities, praising its performance. The model is efficient enough to run locally on machines without dedicated GPUs, including Apple Macs with the new M2 Ultra CPU.
Mixtral 8x7B operates at impressive speeds on the M2, offering capabilities comparable to GPT-3.5. However, the model lacks safety guardrails, which might appeal to users restricted by OpenAI’s policies. This absence of safety features could pose challenges for policymakers and regulators.
AI observers have noted that this open-source model not only rivals GPT-3.5 but also comes without safety constraints. While this release has its advantages, it also signals potential concerns for regulators and IT security experts.
Meanwhile, Mistral has hinted at even more advanced models, as indicated by HyperWrite AI’s CEO, Matt Schumer. The company has released an alpha version of Mistral-medium on its API, suggesting that an even more powerful model might be on the way.
In addition, Mistral recently secured $415 million in a Series A funding round led by A16z, valuing the company at $2 billion.