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Saudi Arabia's ALLaM Model Joins IBM Watsonx as a Top Arabic Language Generator

The announcement was made at the IBM Think event underway in Boston. (SPA)
The announcement was made at the IBM Think event underway in Boston. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia's ALLaM Model Joins IBM Watsonx as a Top Arabic Language Generator

The announcement was made at the IBM Think event underway in Boston. (SPA)
The announcement was made at the IBM Think event underway in Boston. (SPA)

The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) announced on Tuesday that its ALLaM model, which generates Arabic text, was included in IBM’s leading watsonx platform.

The announcement was made at the IBM Think event underway in Boston.

This selection is testament to ALLaM’s advanced technical capabilities.

During its experimental phase, the model underwent rigorous testing against international standards for generative AI to ensure its readiness to compete with other models on watsonx, a platform widely used by developers around the globe.

Currently available in a trial version, ALLaM’s inclusion in watsonx allows for further professional evaluation. The testing will be instrumental in accelerating the release of the model's full capabilities and establishing it as a highly competitive force in the field of Arabic language generation.

The inclusion also aligns with Saudi Arabia's, specifically with SDAIA's, broader mission to promote the Arabic language on regional and global scale. The efforts focus on preserving the integrity of the language while promoting its use by enriching Arabic content in various fields, including technical, cultural, literary, scientific, and other humanities-based domains.

Ultimately, this initiative aims to leverage AI technologies and digital applications to foster cultural diversity and benefit all humanity, regardless of language, nationality, or educational background.

These efforts contribute to the goals outlined in Saudi Vision 2030, driven by Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of SDAIA, to make the Kingdom a global leader in advanced technologies, including those associated with AI.

ALLaM is the first Saudi-developed AI system designed to answer user questions on different knowledge domains in Arabic.

The groundbreaking model leverages cutting-edge AI technology. Trained on a massive Arabic language dataset, one of the world's largest, and supplemented by English content, ALLaM ensures comprehensive responses.

Users can submit inquiries in text or audio format, and ALLaM will answer in the chosen format, drawing from the most trusted sources in the Kingdom and the Arab world.

The ALLaM model is the product of the SDAIA-IBM partnership. This collaboration is a significant milestone on the road to advancing Arabic language applications within generative AI, said Regional Vice President of IBM Saudi Arabia Ayman Al-Rashed.

"This cooperation unlocks the potential of Arabic language models for both public and private sectors, aligning with the cultural needs of the region," he added.

Al-Rashed further highlighted the broader impact of this project, stressing: "Companies can leverage these models to develop innovative services."

This latest development strengthens Saudi Arabia's position as a leader in AI technology tailored to the specific needs of the regional market, he went on to say.

Artificial intelligence experts, technicians, innovators, company presidents, and policymakers formed part of the IBM Think event.

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Microsoft Pledges to Protect European Operations, Unveils Data Center Expansion

A Microsoft logo is pictured on a store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, US, January 25, 2021. (Reuters)
A Microsoft logo is pictured on a store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, US, January 25, 2021. (Reuters)
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Microsoft Pledges to Protect European Operations, Unveils Data Center Expansion

A Microsoft logo is pictured on a store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, US, January 25, 2021. (Reuters)
A Microsoft logo is pictured on a store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, US, January 25, 2021. (Reuters)

Microsoft pledged Wednesday to fight any US government order to halt data center operations in Europe as it sought to soothe concerns among European customers that trans-Atlantic tensions would lead to service disruptions.

The company's president, Brad Smith, said it's not something that officials are talking about in Washington, D.C. but it is a “real concern” for Microsoft's customers across Europe, which include governments.

President Donald Trump has stoked tensions between the US and Europe with his tariff-fueled trade war, and alarmed European leaders with policy changes, including pausing intelligence sharing with Ukraine, that throw into doubt his administration's commitment to the trans-Atlantic relationship, The AP news reported.

Smith, speaking at an event in Brussels, tried to allay concerns as he announced that the company was expanding data center operations across Europe.

“What we want Europeans to know is that they can count on us,” he said in a speech.

“In the unlikely event we are ever ordered by any government anywhere in the world to suspend or cease cloud operations in Europe, we are committing that Microsoft will promptly and vigorously contest such a measure using all legal avenues available, including by pursuing litigation in court,” Smith wrote in a Wednesday blog post.

He noted that Microsoft has experience fighting lawsuits from the previous Trump administration as well as from former President Barack Obama’s administration.

“If we ever find ourselves losing we will put in place business continuity arrangements” that include storing computer code in Switzerland that European partners can access, he said.

Microsoft is making five digital commitments to Europe, including increasing its data center capacity by 40 in 16 countries over the next two years, Smith said. The expansion will cost tens of billions of dollars annually. Smith declined to be more specific about the cost when asked by reporters.

The expansion comes amid calls for Europe to assert tech and data sovereignty by weaning itself off reliance from big US cloud data service providers, including Microsoft, Amazon and, to a lesser extent, Google.

“Given recent geopolitical volatility, we recognize that European governments likely will consider additional options,” and Microsoft is committed to collaborating with European companies, Smith said.