UAE unveils new Arabic-language AI model
The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday announced a new Arabic-language artificial intelligence model, describing it as the best-performing in the region. The oil-rich Gulf state, keen to become a leader in the sector, previously unveiled Falcon in 2023 – an open-source model developed by Abu Dhabi’s Technology Innovation Institute. “We’re proud to finally bring Arabic […]
The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday announced a new Arabic-language artificial intelligence model, describing it as the best-performing in the region.
The oil-rich Gulf state, keen to become a leader in the sector, previously unveiled Falcon in 2023 – an open-source model developed by Abu Dhabi’s Technology Innovation Institute.
“We’re proud to finally bring Arabic to Falcon, and prouder still that the best-performing large language model in the Arab world was built in the UAE,” said Faisal Al-Bannai, secretary general of Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council, which oversees the project.
Falcon Arabic was trained on Arabic-language data covering various dialects across the region and matches “the performance of models up to 10 times its size”, said a statement.
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The council also announced Falcon H1, a new model designed to cut the computing power and technical expertise typically needed to run advanced systems.
During US President Donald Trump’s visit to Abu Dhabi last week, the two countries signed an AI agreement that includes Emirati investment in American data centres.
The US-UAE AI agreement is a major technology partnership aimed at accelerating AI development and strengthening cooperation between the two nations.
The UAE is building the largest AI campus outside the US, with 5GW of power capacity to support millions of advanced AI chips, as a key aspect of the agreement.
The UAE has also pledged $1.4 trillion to invest in AI research, infrastructure, and semiconductor procurement in the US over the next decade.
Besides, the agreement allows the UAE to import cutting-edge AI chips from US firms, a privilege previously restricted due to concerns about technology transfers to China.
Both nations will work to align AI regulations, promote ethical AI research, and strengthen cybersecurity.
This agreement marks a historic milestone in AI collaboration, positioning the UAE as a key player in the global AI landscape while deepening US-UAE ties.