AI and cybersecurity: the best of allies
Christophe Pouchoy, Fund Manager for Echiquier Artificial Intelligence
Cyber threats, from phishing to ransomware and malware, are becoming increasingly sophisticated and industrial in scale. The international UN treaty signed at the Hanoi Convention in late October 2025 aims to establish a global legal and institutional framework to combat cybercrime. As the threat grows, companies that equip themselves with effective response tools will stand out. Estimated at more than $220 billion in 2025, the cybersecurity market could reach $840 billion by 2035.[1] This new strategic challenge is driving demand and creating long-term investment opportunities.
The black gold of the 21st century, data is proliferating. The volume of data generated worldwide in 2025 is expected to exceed the total amount held in the world’s libraries by more than 2,000 times. And half of it is hosted in the cloud, up from 10% in 2015. This concentration is exposing security vulnerabilities. Critical alerts within the cloud have increased by 235% since 2024.[2]
Innovative solutions to risks
While AI contributes to the expansion of data volumes and the massive increase in cyberattacks, it is also part of the solution, offering unprecedented data processing volumes, advanced anomaly detection, automated responses to attacks and proactive prevention. We are therefore interested in innovative companies such as American firm Zscaler. The global leader in zero trust cloud security[3] recently announced the rollout of new AI-centric cybersecurity solutions. These solutions leverage the power of AI to increase accuracy, automate threat neutralisation and streamline collaboration between users, applications, devices and clouds.
Another example is cybersecurity giant Crowdstrike, which has just acquired AI security company Pangea. One of the aims of this merger is to deploy a detection and response platform to secure the entire AI lifecycle, including incoming data and responses, models, agents, infrastructure and interactions. Network security leader Palo Alto Networks has made a name for itself through its acquisition of CyberArk. An expert in online identity management, CyberArk is at the forefront of access rights control. This is a crucial factor in a digital world where virtual machines and AI agents are proliferating and will increasingly have access to corporate data.
The tech sector is experiencing rapid growth, and cybersecurity is part of this dynamic. Demand for enterprise protection solutions continues to grow. A real race against cyber threats is underway, and the use of AI will be crucial. Focused on innovation and identifying megatrends, we have been supporting changes in the AI ecosystem through our Echiquier Artificial Intelligence fund since 2018. We believe this market offers compelling potential.
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[1] Taille, part, croissance et analyse de l’industrie de la cybersécurité (Size, share, growth and analysis of the cybersecurity industry), Businessresearchinsights, 2025
[2] 168% increase in attacks year on year: AI, cloud and suppliers are causing risks to skyrocket, QBE, 2025
[3] Model based on the “never trust, always verify” principle