Most enterprise AI projects fail not because companies lack the technology, but because the models they’re using don’t understand their business. The models are often trained on the internet, rather than decades of internal documents, workflows, and institutional knowledge. 

That gap is where Mistral, the French AI startup, sees opportunity. On Tuesday, the company announced Mistral Forge, a platform that lets enterprises build custom models trained on their own data. Mistral announced the platform at Nvidia GTC, Nvidia’s annual technology conference, which this year is focused heavily on AI and agentic models for enterprise.

It’s a pointed move for Mistral, a company that has built its business on corporate clients while rivals OpenAI and Anthropic have soared ahead in terms of consumer adoption. CEO Arthur Mensch says Mistral’s laser focus on the enterprise is working: the company is on track to surpass $1 billion in annual recurring revenue this year.

A big part of doubling down on enterprise is giving companies more control over their data and their AI systems, Mistral says. 

“What Forge does is it lets enterprises and governments customize AI models for their specific needs,” Elisa Salamanca, Mistral’s head of product, told TechCrunch. 

Several companies in the enterprise AI space already claim to offer similar capabilities, but most focus on fine-tuning existing models or layering proprietary data on top through techniques like retrieval augmented generation (RAG). These approaches don’t fundamentally retrain models; instead, they adapt or query them at runtime using company data.

Mistral, by contrast, says it is enabling companies to train models from scratch. In theory, this could address some of the limitations of more common approaches — for example, better handling of non-English or highly domain-specific data, and greater control over model behavior. It could also allow companies to train agentic systems using reinforcement learning and reduce reliance on third-party model providers, avoiding risks like model changes or deprecation. 

Forge customers can build their custom models using Mistral’s wide library of open-weight AI models, which includes small models such as the recently introduced Mistral Small 4. According to Mistral co-founder and chief technologist, Timothée Lacroix, Forge can help unlock more value out of its existing models. 

“The trade-offs that we make when we build smaller models is that they just cannot be as good on every topic as their larger counterparts, and so the ability to customize them lets us pick what we emphasize and what we drop,” Lacroix said. 

Mistral advises on which models and infrastructure to use, but both decisions stay with the customer, Lacroix said. And for teams that need more than guidance, Forge comes with Mistral’s team of forward-deployed engineers who embed directly with customers to surface the right data and adapt to their needs — a model borrowed from the likes of IBM and Palantir. 

“As a product, Forge already comes with all the tooling and infrastructure so you can generate synthetic data pipelines,” Salamanca said. “But understanding how to build the right evals and making sure that you have the right amount of data is something that enterprises usually don’t have the right expertise for, and that’s what the FDEs bring to the table.” 

Mistral has already made Forge available to partners including Ericsson, the European Space Agency, Italian consulting company Reply, and Singapore’s DSO and HTX. Early adopters also include ASML, the Dutch chipmaker that led Mistral’s Series C round last September at a €11.7 billion valuation (approximately $13.8 billion at the time).

These partnerships are emblematic of what Mistral expects Forge’s main use cases to be. According to Mistral’s chief revenue officer Marjorie Janiewicz, these include governments who need to tailor models for their language and culture; financial players with high compliance requirements; manufacturers with customization needs; and tech companies that need to tune models to their code base.

Kit, Firefox’s first mascot, has just made his debut, thanks to Mozilla, who combined fox and red panda features with some searing flame elements to create a one-of-a-kind creature that sticks out. Kit’s tail constantly seems like it’s on the move, even when he’s just relaxing, since his body language, posture, and eyes all appear to be working together to nail the mood.

Illustrator Marco Palmieri created the final design, starting with some pencil drawings to get a feel for the ideas and ensure they were strong before going on to other tools. Design agency JKR then stepped in and collaborated with Mozilla to take the project to the next level by delving into what makes Firefox tick, including the logo colors and the fox itself.

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According to Amy Bebbington of Mozilla, Kit is the browser’s BFF for the internet era, as it serves as a gentle reminder to users that Firefox has their back. This comes at a time when the web is undergoing significant changes and people are becoming increasingly concerned about what is happening with their data and trust. Firefox is responding by not disclosing users’ personal information and allowing them to opt in or out of artificial intelligence.

Kit is also present in quiet moments, such as when you first log in, try something new, or do something nice while browsing, and you can even use him as a wallpaper for new browser tabs under the customization menu. You may also see him on the official website, social media, and during meetups. Overall, these subtle touches make the sign-in process feel like reconnecting with an old friend. Kit is quite understated, but he provides just the right amount of personality to remind you that the browser is only there to help (not get in the way).

Anker earbuds and headphones may not have the premium status of Apple, Bose and Sony, but the brand’s value-priced products have a loyal following. Anker aficionados have been waiting for the company to release the Pro version of its $100 Soundcore Liberty 5 earbuds. 

According to NotebookCheck, via leaker AnkerInsider, whose X account appears suspended, the release is near. Two versions of Anker’s new flagship earbuds are due to arrive in the coming months: The Liberty 5 Pro and Liberty 5 Pro Max. Both will feature a new AI chip called the Anker Thus to power the buds.

Read more: Best wireless earbuds of 2026

The new models don’t look anything like the current Liberty 5 buds, which have a traditional stem design. Both new Pro models will feature upgraded noise canceling (Anker’s new Adaptive ANC 4.0), Bluetooth 6.1, an IP55 dust- and water-resistant rating, Dolby Atmos spatial audio, Bluetooth multipoint and an AI-powered audio upscaling feature.

While both the Liberty 5 Pro and Liberty Pro Max have a touchscreen built into their cases, the Max’s case also doubles as a voice recorder with built-in microphones. The recorder will reportedly be able to recognize your voice thanks to voiceprint recognition.

The upcoming buds are expected to be officially announced in late May, with the Liberty 5 Pro to be priced at $170, and the Liberty 5 Pro Max retailing for $230 (the Max already have a shell of listing on Best Buy that notes the voice recorder). Both have a battery life of around 6.5 hours with noise cancellation turned on.

AI voice recorders have been proliferating in recent months (you might have seen an ad for one on Facebook or Instagram). Anker is shipping its Soundcore Work coin-sized wearable Al note take/voice recorder for $129 with a $39-off coupon code. Presumably, some of the same technology found in the wearable recorder will make its way over to the Liberty 5 Pro Max.

The Liberty 5 Pro Max won’t be the first pair of earbuds to have a microphone in their case. Nothing’s Ear (3) flagship earbuds have a Super Mic in their case, which had me talking to my hand when making calls. It’s a clear sign that as earbud performance plateaus, brands are getting creative with extra features to help their products stand out from the pack. 

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It’s only been two years since Dune: Part Two but we already have a trailer for the third installment. The appropriately-named Dune: Part Three is an adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune Messiah book from 1969.

Just like the book, the latest film takes place a number of years after Dune: Part Two. “If the first movie was contemplation, a boy exploring a new world, and the second one is a war movie, this one is a thriller,” . “It is action-packed and tense. More muscular.”

Despite the time jump, most primary actors are returning. This includes Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya and Javier Bardem. Anya Taylor-Joy, who briefly appeared in the second film, is also coming back. The same goes for Jason Momoa, despite his Duncan Idaho character dying in the first film. Book readers will likely understand what that means.

The trailer also highlights the antagonist Scytale, as portrayed by Robert Pattinson. He should be a more nuanced villain than Baron Harkonnen, though that’s not exactly a high bar.

The release date is coming up fast. Dune: Part Three hits theaters on December 18. That’s this year. Villeneuve had intended to take a break after making the second one to focus on a smaller and more personal film, but said that he kept “waking in the middle of the night” with potential images from the third installment.