Shadow revives Blade to boost European AI startups
In brief
- Shadow launches Blade, a GPU platform for AI startups and developers.
- Two offerings: app deployment without infrastructure management and API access to 20 models.
- Pricing 25-40% cheaper than rivals, with Staan integration for fresh data.
French cloud company Shadow unveils Blade, a new platform aimed at developers and AI startups. This move aligns with Boris Lecoeur’s strategy, who took over as CEO of Shadow and Qwant in May 2026, to refocus the company on GPU computing for AI.
Blade offers two services: « AI Fabric » for deploying models or apps without managing infrastructure, and « Blade Models », an API-accessible catalog of about twenty AI models. Pricing is set 25 to 40 % below competitors. Shadow leverages its 12,000-GPU infrastructure across Europe and the US, and integrates with Staan, Qwant and Ecosia’s web search API, to provide up-to-date data to models.
The goal is to remove technical and financial barriers to scaling AI applications in Europe by simplifying GPU access and offering a sovereign alternative to non-European players. Blade’s success now hinges on adoption by targeted startups and developers.
What it changes for you
- Public SectorBlade could reduce Europe’s public sector reliance on non-European AI infrastructures for critical projects.
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