The Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA) joins forces with IBM to establish a specialised centre of excellence and unveil the ALLaM challenge, aiming to advance Arabic-language AI and foster global innovation under the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
The Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IBM at the third Global AI Summit. The MoU aims to establish a specialised centre of excellence for developing GenAI technologies and is focused on implementing innovative applications that meet the needs of government entities according to global standards and governance frameworks.
The MoU also includes the launch of the ALLaM challenge. This challenge seeks to develop innovative solutions and stimulate innovation by developing and enhancing LLMs in Arabic using the ALLaM model.
SDAIA and IBM’s collaboration also includes establishing a specialised centre of excellence for developing generative AI technologies and launching the ALLaM Challenge, which aims to discover exceptional talents and expertise in AI.
The collaboration is also part of SDAIA’s efforts to position the ALLaM model as the leading Arabic LLM model on global platforms, per the Arabic MMLU benchmark. The initiative also aims to empower developers and users of Arabic-language AI solutions in the Kingdom and worldwide.
The MoU was finalised at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh, with the CEO of the National Center for AI, Dr Yaser bin Mohammed Al-Onaizan, representing SDAIA, and the General Manager of IBM Saudi Arabia, Fahad Alanazi.
SDAIA and IBM have previously announced that ALLaM will be hosted on the IBM Watsonx platform and the Saudi government cloud “DEEM”. This initiative will provide entities with advanced and unique services, contributing to the advancement of technological innovation in the region.
The partnership is expected to contribute to the exchange of expertise and enhancement of national capabilities that support Saudi Vision 2030 goals, which are focused towards building a knowledge-based society and reinforcing Saudi’s position as a global hub for technology.
