CERN and Mistral join forces to accelerate AI for science
CERN and Mistral will collaborate to develop a Large Physics Model trained on LHC collision data, aiming to improve AI tools for high-energy physics and broader scientific research.
CERN and Mistral, a European AI developer, have signed a statement of intent to form a long-term partnership focused on advancing AI for scientific discovery. The collaboration combines CERN’s expertise in particle physics and large-scale computing with Mistral’s capabilities in training large-scale AI models. The initial focus will be on high-energy physics, with potential applications extending to other scientific fields. The partnership aims to strengthen Europe’s scientific and technological capabilities through shared resources and joint development efforts.
The core objective of the partnership is to create a pretrained Large Physics Model, the first foundation model for collider physics. This model will be trained on billions of simulated proton-proton collisions from CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world’s most powerful particle accelerator. Designed to support multiple tasks, it will assist in reconstructing particle collisions, identifying particles, flagging unexpected signals, and evaluating future detector designs. The model addresses a key challenge in analyzing LHC collision data, where current reconstruction relies on specialized algorithms.
CERN’s Chief Information Officer, Enrica Porcari, highlighted the unique environment for AI development at CERN, emphasizing the rigorous testing and precision required in high-energy physics. The partnership with Mistral is expected to advance AI capabilities that can benefit the entire physics community. CERN stores around one exabyte of experimental data from the LHC, with collision volumes set to increase tenfold with the High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) expected to begin operation around 2030.
Mistral’s Vice-President of AI for Engineering, Johannes Brandstetter, expressed pride in collaborating with CERN to explore large-scale AI models for particle physics. The partnership seeks to push the frontiers of high-energy physics by developing AI tools capable of handling the growing complexity of modern science. By uniting European expertise in AI and fundamental science, the initiative aims to create a new generation of AI tools for addressing the scale, precision, and complexity of scientific research across Europe and beyond.