News

Hot French startup ZML releases free product to speed inference across lots of AI chips

Published

1 hour ago

July 8, 2026

Preport

The days of Nvidia’s unparalleled market dominance aren’t over, but challengers and choices are arising from all directions.

ZML, a hot French AI startup endorsed by Turing Award winner Yann LeCun, has released inference-performance software that allows a variety of open-source large language models to run on a variety of chips — including Nvidia’s, AMD’s, Google’s TPU, Apple Metal and Intel Arc.

With ZML/LLMD, the newly launched LLM inference server, the company’s ambition is to break existing silos and make different chips available for AI use cases at their maximum available speed, and sometimes faster, ZML founder Steeve Morin told TechCrunch.

As AI becomes integrated into our work and everyday lives, optimizing inference — aka, the processing of prompts — has been outpacing model training in importance, but often feels patchy behind the scenes, with software and architecture barriers that lead to vendor lock-in, Morin said.

The promise of achieving peak performance across a variety of chips is a technological feat, but it could also be a market disruptor, amid mounting fears over AI-related costs.

ZML hopes to provide enterprises and clouds with the option to use a mix of chips, some of which might be less costly or consume less energy. “The idea is to give people back the power to create their own system and achieve real efficiency gains that allow [AI] to be disseminated,” Morin said.

Such a software assist may help novel AI chipmakers, many of which happen to be from Europe, Morin observed, citing Axelera, Fractile, Kalray, OLIX, Q.ANT, SiPearl, SpiNNcloud, and VSORA. But more than their region of origin, what matters to him is that ZML can work with them on “things that haven’t been done before anywhere in the world.”

That doesn’t mean Morin is bearish on Nvidia. He’s not, in part because of its existing supply. He told TechCrunch that ZML has a good relationship with the AI chip giant, which has been gearing up for the rise of inference.

Inference has been an area of such intense investment, that the trend has been hailed the “inference gold rush.” So ZML has competition such as Baseten, recently valued at $13 billion; Inferact, from the creators of open source project vLLM; as well as RadixArk, the commercial company behind SGLang.

Both vLLM and SGLang partially compete with LLMD, but Morin’s ambitions for ZML cover a broader spectrum. “We have reached the point where we are co-designing silicon,” he said. He further credited ZML’s lean team of 20 people as the reason why the Paris-based startup has been able to move fast, with more releases in the plans.

It also helped that this small team is well funded for its size. Thanks to his track record as VP of engineering of Zenly, which Snapchat acquired for nine figures in 2017, Morin raised $20 million from venture firms including Harry Stebbings’ 20VC, >commit, AALVC, Drysdale Ventures, Xavier Niel’s Kima Ventures, Kindred Capital, LocalGlobe, and Puzzle Ventures.

Unlike ZML’s first public project, the inference-focused ML framework released in 2024 and updated in March, ZML/LLMD is not open source. But it is launching as a free product with the goal of learning about usage. “I’d rather measure and [then generate revenue] where it is most effective without hindering my growth stupidly because I have been too greedy from the get-go,” Morin said.

It is too early to tell when ZML/LLMD might become a paid product, and what its adoption will look like. But the startup’s cap table confirms that other founders are paying attention, including Dagger and Docker founder Solomon Hykes, Clément Delangue and Julien Chaumond from Hugging Face, as well LeCun, now with AMI Labs. This also builds the case that Europe’s AI startups can now build from home. “I couldn’t do ZML anywhere but in Paris,” Morin said.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

Related Topics:chips free French hot inference lots product releases speed startup ZML

Up Next

NIIRA 2025: NAICOM Engages Police to Curb Fake Insurance Certificates on Roads

Don't Miss

Malaria Consortium Seeks Stronger Media Partnership Ahead of 2026 SMC Campaign

Click to comment

News

IFAF Profiles Team Nigeria Ahead of World Flag Championships, Highlights Africa’s Sole Representative

Published

14 minutes ago

July 8, 2026

Preport

WhatsApp Image 2026 07 08 at 12.50.40 PM.jpeg

With just weeks to the 2026 IFAF Flag Football World Championships in Düsseldorf, Germany, the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) has shone the spotlight on Nigeria, profiling the country’s men’s and women’s national teams as Africa’s only representatives at the global showpiece.

The feature, published on the IFAF official website under the title “IFAF World Flag 2026 Nation Profile: Nigeria,” celebrates Nigeria’s remarkable rise in international flag football after both the men’s and women’s national teams emerged champions at the inaugural IFAF Africa Flag Football Championships held in Cairo, Egypt, in 2025.

The profile is accompanied by a celebratory image of Nigerian players proudly displaying their medals and continental trophies, capturing the historic moment that secured the country’s qualification for the world championships.

According to IFAF, Nigeria truly lived up to its reputation as the “Giant of Africa” by sweeping both titles at the continent’s first-ever championship.

The women’s national team claimed the African crown with a convincing 26-12 victory over Morocco, while the men’s team edged host nation Egypt 13-12 in a dramatic final to seal their place in Düsseldorf.

As the only African nation represented in both the men’s and women’s competitions, Nigeria will carry the continent’s hopes when the tournament begins in Germany in August.

The governing body also outlined the enormous challenge awaiting both teams.

Nigeria’s men’s national team has been drawn in a difficult group featuring world number two Austria, Asia champions Japan, and Canada, who finished third at the IFAF Americas Championships. Remarkably, the Nigerian men will face all three opponents for the first time in international competition.

The women’s national team faces an equally daunting assignment, opening its campaign against defending world champions the United States before taking on European bronze medalists Spain and Oceania champions Australia in one of the tournament’s toughest groups.

IFAF also identified two Nigerians expected to play key roles during the championship.

Quarterback Hayes Obinna-Uzoh was named as the player to watch for the men’s national team, while dynamic receiver and rusher Esther Kalu was highlighted as one of the standout performers in the women’s squad.

The world governing body further acknowledged that Düsseldorf 2026 will mark a historic milestone for Nigeria, as both national teams prepare to make their debut at the IFAF Flag Football World Championships.

Nigeria becomes only the second African nation to compete at the global championship, following Cameroon’s historic appearance at the 2024 edition.

The IFAF profile also recognised the coaches leading Nigeria’s campaign, with Ephraim Fagha Faloughi in charge of the men’s national team and Anireju Oritsewehinmi Ayida leading the women’s squad.

The recognition from the world governing body represents another significant moment for Nigerian flag football, reflecting the country’s rapid rise from continental champions to one of the emerging nations to watch on the global stage.

With both national teams already concluding successful domestic preparation matches before departing for further training in Nairobi, Kenya, attention now shifts to Düsseldorf, where Nigeria will seek to justify the confidence shown by IFAF and demonstrate that its dominance in Africa can translate onto the world stage.

For Nigerian players and supporters alike, the official nation profile is more than just a tournament preview—it is international recognition of a journey that has transformed Nigeria into Africa’s standard-bearer in flag football and one of the sport’s fastest-rising forces.

Business

NIIRA 2025: NAICOM Engages Police to Curb Fake Insurance Certificates on Roads

Published

1 hour ago

July 8, 2026

Preport

BY NKECHI NAECHE-ESEZOBOR—The National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) has organized a specialized one-day training program for officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), FCT Command, aimed at strengthening the enforcement of Motor Third-Party Insurance and other compulsory policies across Nigerian roads.

The initiative, held in Abuja, focused on equipping law enforcement officers with advanced skills to fast-track insurance policy verification and eliminate the proliferation of fake insurance certificates.

The training was themed “Building a Culture of Insurance Compliance: Police as Catalysts for Protecting Lives, Property and Enhancing Public Safety.” It was designed to empower officers to promote statutory compliance, verify the authenticity of insurance covers during routine checks, and help deepen public appreciation of insurance benefits.

Speaking on behalf of the Commissioner for Insurance/CEO of NAICOM, Mr. Olusegun Ayo Omosehin, Mr. Ekerete Ola Gam-Ikon underscored the strategic importance of the collaboration between the regulatory body and the NPF.

He noted that effective public safety extends beyond traditional crime prevention to shielding citizens from the severe financial consequences of unforeseen disasters.

“Insurance serves as a vital social and economic safety net, providing protection for individuals, families, businesses, and public institutions against losses arising from accidents, disasters, and other risks,” Mr. Gam-Ikon stated.

He added that the partnership is critical to reducing the high volume of uninsured vehicles on the roads, protecting commuters, curbing the use of counterfeit insurance certificates, and boosting public trust in regulatory institutions. These objectives, he emphasized, directly align with the provisions of the newly enacted Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act (NIIRA) 2025 and NAICOM’s mandate to deepen market penetration.

The commission highlighted the unique leverage the Nigeria Police Force possesses due to its daily interactions with motorists, business owners, and the public. By strictly enforcing compulsory insurance laws, police officers act as key drivers in reducing accident-related financial hardships and enhancing overall public safety.

During the technical sessions, participants received practical training on:

The core objectives and benefits of compulsory insurance lines.

Standardized digital and manual insurance policy verification procedures.

The foolproof identification of genuine insurance certificates.

The legal framework governing compliance under NIIRA 2025.

The program successfully strengthened the institutional bridge between NAICOM and the NPF, encouraging officers to act not just as law enforcers, but as grassroots advocates for insurance literacy.

Long-Term Commitment

Moving forward, NAICOM reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining close ties with law enforcement and relevant stakeholders to eliminate fake insurance vendors, improve nationwide compliance levels, and position the insurance sector as a meaningful contributor to Nigeria’s economic growth and social stability.

The Commission urged the officers of the FCT Command to champion this cause, fostering an environment where insurance is embraced not merely as a statutory obligation, but as an indispensable tool for safeguarding lives, investments, and livelihoods.

The post NIIRA 2025: NAICOM Engages Police to Curb Fake Insurance Certificates on Roads appeared first on Business Today NG.