SDAIA Partners with NVIDIA to Boost Saudi Arabia's AI Capabilities 

SDAIA announced its plan to collaborate with NVIDIA to help developers more easily build and deploy AI applications using the "ALLaM" Arabic language model. (SPA)
SDAIA announced its plan to collaborate with NVIDIA to help developers more easily build and deploy AI applications using the "ALLaM" Arabic language model. (SPA)
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SDAIA Partners with NVIDIA to Boost Saudi Arabia's AI Capabilities 

SDAIA announced its plan to collaborate with NVIDIA to help developers more easily build and deploy AI applications using the "ALLaM" Arabic language model. (SPA)
SDAIA announced its plan to collaborate with NVIDIA to help developers more easily build and deploy AI applications using the "ALLaM" Arabic language model. (SPA)

The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) announced on Tuesday its plan to collaborate with NVIDIA to help developers more easily build and deploy Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications using the "ALLaM" Arabic language model. The partnership also aims to boost the model's effectiveness and expand its capabilities by leveraging NVIDIA's advanced technological expertise.

The announcement was made during the third Global AI (GAIN) Summit, which kicked off in Riyadh on Tuesday.

The summit was attended by SDAIA President Dr. Abdullah bin Sharaf Al-Ghamdi, SDAIA Vice President Dr. Sami bin Abdullah Muqeem, National Information Center Director Dr. Essam bin Abdullah Al-Wagait, and National Data Management Office (NDMO) head Al-Rabdi bin Fahd Al-Rabdi.

The collaboration allows the ALLaM model to benefit from the NVIDIA NeMo platform, part of NVIDIA's AI software, to train language models and make them widely accessible to users, while implementing safeguards to ensure system security.

NVIDIA provides enhanced, user-friendly capabilities that help developers build generative AI applications using the ALLaM model's features, setting a new standard for AI-based language models in the region. It positions the model as a key player in advanced Arabic-language technologies and helps companies access the newly announced NVIDIA NIM.

In addition to these advancements in AI applications, SDAIA will work closely with NVIDIA to boost its supercomputing infrastructure.

Moreover, there are plans that include establishing one of the largest high-performance data centers in the Middle East and North Africa by upgrading the existing infrastructure of SDAIA's NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD, which boasts unique specifications.

The expansion will integrate NVIDIA's most advanced technologies, eventually reaching over 5,000 GPUs. Hence, it will open new horizons for digital innovation and infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.

By integrating the NVIDIA Triton Inference Server for efficient model deployment and NVIDIA TensorRT software, SDAIA ensures the continuous development of its AI infrastructure, keeping it at the forefront of global technological trends.

Through its collaboration with NVIDIA, SDAIA is co-leading a new era of AI-powered transformation in the Kingdom, further strengthening its leadership in digital innovation on the international stage.



Honda Executive Resigns over 'Inappropriate Conduct'

The firm's audit committee had investigated the incident and presented a disciplinary action plan to the board of directors, who were "scheduled to make a decision" - AFP
The firm's audit committee had investigated the incident and presented a disciplinary action plan to the board of directors, who were "scheduled to make a decision" - AFP
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Honda Executive Resigns over 'Inappropriate Conduct'

The firm's audit committee had investigated the incident and presented a disciplinary action plan to the board of directors, who were "scheduled to make a decision" - AFP
The firm's audit committee had investigated the incident and presented a disciplinary action plan to the board of directors, who were "scheduled to make a decision" - AFP

Honda's executive vice president resigned on Monday over "an allegation of inappropriate conduct", the Japanese automaker said.

The incident occurred "during a social gathering outside of work hours", Honda said in a statement, without detailing the accusations made against Shinji Aoyama, who is also the company's director.

"It is deeply regrettable that an individual positioned as a leader in the management of the company, and who is expected to set an example for the respect of human rights... has become the subject of an allegation of conduct contrary to these principles," it said, AFP reported.

The firm's audit committee had investigated the incident and presented a disciplinary action plan to the board of directors, who were "scheduled to make a decision".

But Aoyama submitted his resignation letter before the board had made any move, the statement said.

"The Company's Board of Directors has determined that it is appropriate for Mr. Aoyama to resign from his position," it added.

Honda President Toshihiro Mibe will voluntarily return 20 percent of his monthly compensation for two months due to "the seriousness of this matter", the company said.

"The company sincerely apologizes for any discomfort caused by such conduct, and for the significant disturbance and concern it has caused to all stakeholders."