United Kingdom: Closed consultation on CMA investigation into partnership between Microsoft and Mistral AI

On 9 May 2024, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) closed the public consultation on the partnership between Microsoft and Mistral AI. In particular, the CMA sought views on whether the partnership and other arrangements may result in the creation of relevant merger situations and the potential impact of these deals on competition in the UK. The consultation followed the report published by the CMA on 11 April 2024 on competition in the markets for AI Foundation Models, which found that partnerships involving key players could exacerbate existing market power positions through the value chain of the foundation models.