This makes it easier for many to try Mistral because many already use MS Foundry and you can easily switch models. In contrast, getting through the bureaucracy of negotiating a contract with yet another provider, Mistral, is harder.

However, Mistral via MS is not as sovereign as Mistral directly even though Microsoft wants you to believe that:

In a joint interview with Reuters, Microsoft President Brad Smith and Mistral CEO Arthur Mensch said the partnership aimed to deliver ​such sovereignty while allowing access to US software and security features.