UAE Unveils Falcon Arabic: A Powerful New AI Model in the Middle East's Tech Race
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UAE Releases Falcon Arabic AI Model To Outcompete Mideast Rivals
A research arm of the Abu Dhabi government has released a powerful new Arabic-language artificial intelligence model in a bid to preserve its technological lead over rivals in the Middle East. The new system, called Falcon Arabic, was trained on a dataset spanning Modern Standard Arabic and regional dialects. The Technology Innovation Institute (TII), the Abu Dhabi group behind Falcon, claims the new offering matches the performance of models up to 10 times its size. TII also launched Falcon H1, a small model that it said outperforms similarly sized options from Meta Platforms Inc. and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
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UAE launches Arabic language AI model as Gulf race gathers pace
DUBAI, May 21 (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates launched a new Arabic language artificial intelligence (AI) model on Wednesday as the regional race to develop AI technologies accelerates in the Gulf. The UAE, a major oil exporter, has been spending billions of dollars in a push to become a global AI player, looking to leverage its strong relations with the United States to secure access to technology. U.S. President Donald Trump said during a visit last week that an AI agreement with the UAE creates a path for it to access some of the advanced AI semiconductors from U.S. firms, a major win for the Gulf country. Falcon Arabic, developed by Abu Dhabi's Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), aims to capture the full linguistic diversity of the Arab world through a "high-quality native (non-translated) Arabic dataset," a statement said. It also matches the performance of models up to 10 times its size, it said. "Today, AI leadership is not about scale for the sake of scale. It is about making powerful tools useful, usable, and universal," Faisal Al Bannai, ATRC secretary general said in the statement. ATRC also launched Falcon H1, which it said outperforms competitors from Meta and Alibaba (9988.HK), opens new tab by reducing the computing power and technical expertise traditionally required to run advanced systems. AI was a central theme during Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia as well, which is pitching itself as a prospective hub for AI activity outside the U.S. The kingdom launched a new company earlier this month to develop and manage AI technologies and infrastructure, which is also aiming to offer one of the world's most powerful multimodal Arabic large language models, according to a statement. Reporting by Yousef Saba; Writing by Sarah El Safty; Editing by Rachna Uppal Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab Suggested Topics:Disrupted
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The UAE has launched Falcon Arabic, a new AI model designed to outperform larger competitors and preserve the country's technological edge in the Middle East. This development marks a significant step in the region's AI race.
UAE Introduces Cutting-Edge Arabic AI Model
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has taken a significant leap in the artificial intelligence race by unveiling Falcon Arabic, a powerful new AI model designed to outperform larger competitors and solidify the country's technological leadership in the Middle East 12.
Source: Reuters
Falcon Arabic: A Technological Marvel
Developed by the Technology Innovation Institute (TII), a research arm of the Abu Dhabi government, Falcon Arabic boasts impressive capabilities. The model was trained on a comprehensive dataset encompassing Modern Standard Arabic and various regional dialects, aiming to capture the full linguistic diversity of the Arab world 12.
What sets Falcon Arabic apart is its efficiency and power. According to TII, the new offering matches the performance of models up to 10 times its size, showcasing remarkable advancements in AI efficiency 1. This achievement underscores the UAE's commitment to developing AI technologies that are not just powerful, but also practical and widely applicable.
Expanding the AI Portfolio
Alongside Falcon Arabic, TII also introduced Falcon H1, a smaller model that reportedly outperforms similarly sized options from tech giants like Meta Platforms Inc. and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd 1. This development demonstrates the UAE's ability to compete on multiple fronts in the AI landscape.
Faisal Al Bannai, Secretary General of the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), emphasized the importance of making AI tools "useful, usable, and universal," highlighting the UAE's focus on practical applications of AI technology 2.
Geopolitical Implications and Regional Competition
The launch of Falcon Arabic comes at a time of intensifying competition in AI development across the Gulf region. The UAE, leveraging its strong relations with the United States, has been investing billions of dollars to position itself as a global AI player 2.
Recent developments have further bolstered the UAE's position. During a visit last week, U.S. President Donald Trump announced an AI agreement that paves the way for the UAE to access some of the most advanced AI semiconductors from U.S. firms, marking a significant advantage for the Gulf nation 2.
The Broader Middle East AI Race
The UAE's advancements are part of a larger trend in the Middle East, with countries vying for technological supremacy. Saudi Arabia, for instance, recently launched a new company focused on developing and managing AI technologies and infrastructure. The kingdom aims to offer one of the world's most powerful multimodal Arabic large language models, signaling the growing importance of AI in the region's economic and technological landscape 2.
As the race for AI dominance in the Middle East intensifies, the launch of Falcon Arabic represents a significant milestone. It not only showcases the UAE's technological capabilities but also highlights the growing importance of language-specific AI models in preserving cultural identity and driving innovation in diverse linguistic contexts.
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