Groq opening in Saudi Arabia; G42 to deploy 2GW data centre in India
Middle East AI News weekly digest...
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Welcome to this week’s Middle East AI News, brought to you by OnDemand, an innovative AI platform which enables you to fast-track AI product development and seamlessly integrate AI and IoT apps into your environment - now with more than 50,000 users!
It’s AI news overload in the Middle East this week! The Global AI Summit (GAIN) is taking place in Riyadh, the AI & Web3 Festival in Dubai, so today’s news digest is far from exhaustive! See my LinkedIn posts for more detailed news roundups of GAIN Day One and GAIN Day Two.
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Data Centres
Groq to deploy services in Saudi Arabia
#Saudi #GAINSummit – Groq will provide 20-40% of its global token-as-a-service for AI inference from a new Saudi data centre by year-end. Announced at the Global AI Summit with Aramco Digital, Groq registered a regional headquarters in Saudi Arabia and will launch the inferencing service by 2024. (Middle East AI News)
G42 to deploy 2GW data centre and supercomputer in India
#India #Infrastructure – Abu Dhabi-based G42 plans to build up to 2GW of AI data centres in India and deploy a supercomputer with up to 8 exaFLOP performance. This follows a UAE-India agreement to boost India’s data centre and supercomputing capabilities. (Middle East AI News)
Aramco announces AI MoUs and NVIDIA data centre
#Saudi #GAINSummit– Aramco signed agreements with Cerebras Systems, FuriosaAI, Rebellions, and SambaNova Systems at the Global AI Summit. The energy giant also disclosed that its NVIDIA SuperPod AI data centre cluster has gone live, taking the performance of its METABRAIN LLM, to the next level. (Aramco)
LLMs
G42 launches new Hindi LLM in Mumbai
#India #LLMs - G42 has unveiled NANDA, a groundbreaking 13-billion parameter Hindi large language model (LLM), at the UAE-India Business Forum in Mumbai, India. NANDA is a collaboration between G42’s applied research arm Inception, the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), and Cerebras Systems. (Middle East AI News)
Saudi Allam Arabic LLM now available on Azure
#Saudi #GAINSummit – Microsoft and Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) have announced the availability of the Allam Arabic large language model on Azure. The 7 billion parameter version, first announced last year, is now globally accessible. (Middle East AI News)
Inception launches new Jais Chat app with AI features
#UAE #apps – Inception, G42’s research arm, has updated its Jais Chat app for Arabic speakers. The app now supports AI-based text-to-speech, speech-to-text, and advanced capabilities for mathematics and coding. (Middle East AI News)
KAUST and stc sign research agreement on Generative AI models
#Saudi #GAINSummit– King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and stc have signed an R&D agreement to develop Generative AI models. The partnership aims to create models focused on the telecom sector. (LinkedIn)
Healthcare
Presight secures multi-million-dollar deal in Jordan
#Jordan #healthcare – Abu Dhabi’s Presight, part of G42, won a major contract with Jordan’s Ministry of Digital Economy to digitise the healthcare sector, leveraging its expertise from the UAE to improve healthcare access and quality. (Middle East AI News)
Platforms
AIREV launches Amal, the first AI voice assistant marketplace
#UAE #assistants– UAE-based AIREV has launched Amal, the first AI voice assistant with a built-in agent marketplace. Powered by Jais and GPT-4, Amal can handle tasks like market analysis and code generation. Availability expected soon. (LinkedIn)
Venture Capital
Egypt, Tsinghua Unigroup to launch $300m tech fund
#Egypt #investment – Egypt’s Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA), Telecom Egypt, and China's Tsinghua Unigroup will launch a $300 million AI and semiconductor fund, with 60-70% of the investment coming from Tsinghua. A semiconductor R&D centre in Egypt is also being planned. (Amwal Al Ghad)
CoEs
DMCC launches AI Centre to drive global AI solutions
#UAE #AI – DMCC (Dubai Multi Commodities Centre) has launched the DMCC AI Centre in Dubai’s Uptown Tower, focusing on advancing AI adoption and scaling real-life use cases across MENA. The centre joins DMCC’s Crypto and Gaming Centres as part of an integrated technology hub. (Zawya)
SDAIA & IBM sign MoU to establish new AI CoE
#SaudiArabia #GAINSummit – Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) and IBM have signed an MoU to establish an AI Centre of Excellence. The collaboration focuses on advancing AI and fostering innovation. (SPA)
Oman tenders for AI innovation hub project
#Oman #AI – Oman’s Ministry of Transport, Communications, and Information Technology has issued a tender to develop the Oman Artificial Intelligence Studio, an innovation hub for AI design and development. (Oman Observer)
R&D
SDAIA and NEOM Partner to Bolster Research and Innovation in AI
#Saudi #GAINSummit – Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) has signed an MoU with NEOM to enhance collaboration in research and innovation in the AI sector. The partnership supports NEOM's cognitive city development. (SPA)
Policy
SDAIA announces guiding principles for deepfake practices
#Saudi #GAINSummit– Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) has introduced principles for deepfake technologies. These aim to promote responsible use, raise awareness, and mitigate risks. The draft principles will be published for public consultation soon. (SPA)
Ethics
ICESCO and SDAIA Launch Riyadh Charter on AI for Islamic World
#Saudi #GAINSummit – ICESCO and Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA)have introduced the Riyadh Charter on AI for the Islamic World, aiming to align AI development with Islamic values. (SPA)
Competitions
SDAIA launches ALLaM Challenge to advance Arabic language models
#Saudi #GAINSummit– Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) has launched the ALLaM Challenge, inviting developers to create applications using the ALLaM Arabic LLM on IBM’s watsonx platform. Winners will be announced in October. The initiative aims to advance Arabic language capabilities in AI. (SPA)
First-ever IAIO takes place in Riyadh; 25 countries participate
#SaudiArabia #GAINSummit – Saudi Arabia is hosting the inaugural International AI Olympiad (IAIO), with participants from 25 countries. Organised by Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) and UNESCO, the event encourages youth engagement in AI and fosters global ties. (SPA)
Saudi CST opens Co-Innovation Award registration
#Saudi #innovation – Saudi Arabia’s Communication, Space, and Technology Commission (CST) has opened registration for the 3rd Co-Innovation Award, promoting collaborative tech solutions between service providers and users. The deadline is September 12. (SPA)
Education
EDB launches internal AI Wave programme
#UAE #transformation – Emirates Development Bank (EDB) has launched its AI Wave programme to boost AI literacy across the organisation through workshops and hands-on training sessions. This initiative ensures EDB’s workforce stays ahead in AI adoption. (WAM)
Environment
KAUST develops breakthrough coral reef AI
#Saudi #environment – King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) has developed a Coral AI system that monitors and autonomously delivers nutrients to coral reefs. Focused on the Red Sea, this innovative solution could revolutionise coral conservation globally. (Arab News)
Media
Qatar’s QRDI Council partners with Al Jazeera on AI
#Qatar #media – The Qatar Research, Development and Innovation (QRDI) Council has launched a project with Al Jazeera Media’s AJ+ to revolutionise video translation and adaptation across languages using AI. The project aims to make global news content more accessible. (Qatar Tribune)
Autonomous Stores
e& UAE opens second AI-powered autonomous store
#UAE #retail – e& UAE has opened its second AI-powered store, EASE, in Dubai Mall. The autonomous store features smart shelves, biometrics, facial recognition, and robotics to create a seamless shopping experience. (Tahawul Tech)
Mobility
Joby applies to become first certified electric air taxi operator in UAE
#UAE #airtaxis– Joby Aviation has submitted a Letter of Intent to the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority to become the first certified electric air taxi operator in the UAE. This follows agreements with Dubai’s RTA and Abu Dhabi’s Department of Municipalities and Transport to launch air taxi services. (Zawya)
Smart Cities
Ministry of Municipalities launches Smart City Management Platform
#Saudi #GAINSummit– The Ministry of Municipalities and Housing has unveiled its AI-powered Smart Assistant Service and Smart City Management Platform (Madinaty) during the Global AI Summit. (SPA)
TIME100AI
Two UAE leaders listed in Time 100 AI 2024
#UAE #AI – Time’s 2024 AI 100 list features Sheikh Tahnoon bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, chairman of G42, and H.E. Faisal Al Bannai, head of Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), recognising their leadership in AI. (LinkedIn)
[ This newsletter was AI edited & human edited ]