MBZUAI releases K2-65B LLM; and more Middle East AI News
Carrington Malin
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Good day!
Welcome to the Middle East AI News LinkedIn newsletter!
A busy week for AI and other technologies! MBZUAI released a new open-source model called K2 65B that is 35% cheaper to train. The university also announced a new department for human-computer interaction. Meanwhile, big news from Saudi Arabia this week as the PIF launches a new space sector group, and Lenovo announced plans for R&D and manufacture.
Scroll down for more news!
Unfortunately, there is no Middle East AI News LIVE - THURSDAY DEEP DIVE today, but next week (Jun 6th) I’ll be talking to Andrew Forson, Head of Ventures and Investments at The Hashgraph Association, about plans to enable hundreds of AI and Web3 startups in the Middle East and Africa (new venture building deals already signed with Qatar and Saudi Arabia!).
Thanks for reading!
/Carrington
Middle East AI News – 30-May-24
LLMs
MBZUAI releases K2-65B LLM under LLM360
#UAE #LLMs - Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) has announced the K2-65B LLM, developed in collaboration with Petuum, and released under the LLM360 framework for creating open-source large language models. The new model was trained using 35% fewer resources than Llama 2 70B. (Middle East AI News)
Education
#UAE #education - Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence’s (MBZUAI) is to open a Human-Computer Interaction Department, to foster interdisciplinary collaboration in AI and elevate the university’s academic programmes. Google's senior director for UX Professor Elizabeth Churchill joins MBZUAI as the chair of the new department. (Middle East AI News)
#Morocco #training - Holmarcom Group announced the AI Institute, a new data and AI training centre to be headquartered in Casablanca, and a partnership agreement signed with Microsoft. The institute will provide training support for businesses and offer certifications, including courses certified by Microsoft. (Morocco World News)
Space
#Saudi #space - The Public Investment Fund (PIF) this week announced the formation of a new space sector group, the Neo Space Group (NSG). The group will be the national champion for the Kingdom's space sector developing local capabilities, investing in technology, attracting foreign direct investment and boosting the country's position in the global space economy. (PIF)
PCs
#Saudi #PCs - Lenovo, the world's largest personal computer vendor by unit sales, has plans to open an R&D facility, and a manufacturing plant in Saudi Arabia, while making Riyadh its Middle East and Africa headquarters. The PC manufacturer signed a strategic collaboration agreement with Saudi electronics group Alat, on the back of a $2 billion purchase of Lenovo convertible bonds. (Bloomberg)
GenAI
#UAE #GenAI- Abu Dhabi-based AIREV announced On Demand, a new cutting-edge Platform as a Service (PaaS) powered by RAG technology, which allows users to quickly adapt predefined AI models for deployment on corporate software platforms. The service offers automated app integration, dynamic APIs and automatic aggregation of data sources. (LinkedIn)
#UAE #GenAI - Abu Dhabi startup VGLNT has been launched as the first real-time AI-powered fact checker that seamlessly integrates with your phone. The tool aims to empower verify and validate online information. (Zawya)
Industry 4.0
#UAE #Industry4 - The Ministry of Industry & Advanced Technology (MoIAT) and the Emirates Development Bank (EDB) have announced $100 million in financing for the country's industrial AI Innovation Program. The ministry also launched Transform 4.0, which aims to digitize 100 high-potential manufacturers. (Emirates News Agency)
R&D
#India #UAE #research - Minsait, a subsidiary of the 3.85 billion Euro turnover, Indra, has signed a MoU with Abu Dhabi-based computational and data science research centre, ADIA Lab. Researchers from Minsait and ADIA Lab, will work together to produce scientific resources. (Altalayar)
AVs
领英推荐
#UAE #AVs - Dubai has announced the 4th Dubai World Challenge for Self-Driving Transport, being organised by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) under the theme ‘Dubai Autonomous Transport Zone’. Open for registrations this week, the finals of the challenge will take place in September 2025 with the winning company receiving a prize of $3 million. (Dubai Media Office)
#HongKong #Saudi #AV - Hong Kong-based unicorn that builds driverless commercial vehicles, Cidi, aims to expand in the Middle East based on growing demand for autonomous transport. According to co-founder and CEO Ma Wei, the start-up is in talks to set up a long-term presence in NEOM. (SCMP)
Cloud
#Oman #cloud - Two strategic cloud partnerships were signed during Oman's big annual IT show, COMEX. Google signed a RO 2 million ($5.2m) agreement with Omantel to establish the first edge cloud computing centre in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Amazon Web Services (AWS) for Sovereign Cloud Services also signed RO 24 million ($62m) agreement with Omantel for ecommerce and AI. (Oman Observer)
Media
#Saudi #media - Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Media and Microsoft signed an MoU this week to collaborate in several areas of AI and related services. The goal is to improve the quality of local media content. (Zawya)
Electric Air Mobility
#Saudi #US #airmobility - U.S. electric air taxi company Joby Aviation this week signed an MoU with Mukamalah, a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Aramco, the operator of the world’s largest fleet of corporate aircraft, to introduce Joby’s aircraft to the Kingdom. (Joby Aviation)
#Saudi #airtaxis - Eve Air Mobility and Saudia Technic have signed an agreement to explore the potential demand of Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) activities for eVTOL aircraft in the Middle East. In addition, feasibility will be studied for the assembly of Eve eVTOLs in Saudi Arabia. (AAM)
Investment
#UAE #investment - His Highness Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, deputy ruler of Abu Dhabi, this week chaired the inaugural board meeting of MGX, the $100 billion fund announced by the government in March. (Abu Dhabi Media Office)
Drones
#UAE #drones - Nomad Prototypes, founded by aerospace engineer Phillip Keane, has unveiled a 3D printed drone. Manufactured with one of the strongest resins in the world, the drone can fly for 37 minutes without payload and 22 minutes with a 500-gram payload. (EIN News)
IP Rights
#UAE #US #IP - The UAE and the United States have signed an MoU with the goal of strengthening collaboration in intellectual property rights protection. The agreement will establish a comprehensive framework, new policies and systems for IP rights protection, and a 5-year partnership to enable U.S. patent-holders to have their patents registered in the UAE. (Ministry of Economy)
AI Diplomacy
#SouthKorea #UAE #consular - The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced the launch of the first Smart Mission in Seoul, which aims to provide full consular services around the clock, using AI and other technologies. (Zawya)
#GCC #AIdiplomacy - Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates were among the nations that attended the Global Forum on Artificial Intelligence Safety, held in Seoul last week. The summit was co-organised by South Korea and the United Kingdom, under the theme 'Building in the AI Safety Summit: Towards an Innovative and Inclusive Future.' (Reuters)
Video of the week
Watch: H.E. Faisal Al Bannai talk about open source AI
Speaking at the Make it in the Emirates Forum, H.E. Faisal Al Bannai, Secretary General of the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC) and Advisor to the UAE President for Strategic Research and Advanced Technology Affairs, talks about the UAE's AI ambitions and why the ATRC believes in open source AI.
Watch the video (4 mins)
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Managing Partner at One Second, Healthcare Marketing ? We're hiring
6 个月That's an impressive lineup of AI news. Thanks for sharing.
Veteran enterprise saas sales 5+ years (HrTech/AI/Analytics) | Published Author
6 个月That's fantastic news. The advancements in AI and technology are truly impressive. Carrington Malin
Building LLM360
6 个月found it very rewarding to be involved in such a significant initiative