# French startup ZML releases free inference server for AI chips

> French startup ZML has released ZML/LLMD, a free inference server that lets open-source language models run efficiently across a grab-bag of chip architectures: Nvidia, AMD, Google TPU, Apple Metal, and Intel Arc. In a market where so much software is quietly tuned for Nvidia and only Nvidia, a tool that treats hardware as interchangeable is a small act of defiance. That portability is the whole idea. Being able to move the same open model between vendors loosens the lock-in that has made Nvidia so dominant, and it is especially appealing in Europe, where ZML says it wants to co-design silicon with local chipmakers like SiPearl and Kalray. The company is backed by 20 million dollars and an eye-catching roster of angels, including Meta's Yann LeCun and Docker co-founder Solomon Hykes. The founder, Steeve Morin, previously ran engineering at Zenly before Snapchat acquired it, so this is not a first rodeo. Giving the core product away is a familiar open-source wedge: win developers first, and figure out the business around the edges later.

_Section: [Daily AI Updates](https://www.wortins.com/daily-ai) · Source: TechCrunch · Published Sunday, July 19, 2026_

## Wortins' read

French startup ZML has released ZML/LLMD, a free inference server that lets open-source language models run efficiently across a grab-bag of chip architectures: Nvidia, AMD, Google TPU, Apple Metal, and Intel Arc. In a market where so much software is quietly tuned for Nvidia and only Nvidia, a tool that treats hardware as interchangeable is a small act of defiance. That portability is the whole idea. Being able to move the same open model between vendors loosens the lock-in that has made Nvidia so dominant, and it is especially appealing in Europe, where ZML says it wants to co-design silicon with local chipmakers like SiPearl and Kalray. The company is backed by 20 million dollars and an eye-catching roster of angels, including Meta's Yann LeCun and Docker co-founder Solomon Hykes. The founder, Steeve Morin, previously ran engineering at Zenly before Snapchat acquired it, so this is not a first rodeo. Giving the core product away is a familiar open-source wedge: win developers first, and figure out the business around the edges later.

## Source

[Read the full story at TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/08/hot-french-startup-zml-releases-free-product-to-speed-inference-across-lots-of-ai-chips/)

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