Abu Dhabi launches USD 300 mn Falcon Foundation

AI was all the rage on the last day of WGS: Between the government inking several agreements and forging partnerships on AI adoption and advancement, as well as the launch the USD 300 mn AI fund, the last day of the World Governments Summit, which was held under the theme “Shaping Future Government,” was very AI-heavy.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT-

Gov’t earmarks USD 300 mn to foster AI development: State-backed research center Technology Innovation Institute, the research arm of Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), announced the launch of the Falcon Foundation, a USD 300 mn nonprofit fund dedicated to promoting the development of open-source AI models and facilitating AI research, Wam reports. The fund’s main goal will be to decentralize AI to ensure adaptive models that can be applied across various sectors, “steering the trajectory of AI development towards greater transparency and accessibility,” ATRC secretary general Faisal Al Bannai said.

UNDP + UAE team up to advance digitalization: The government signed a partnership agreement with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to cooperate on knowledge exchange, digitalization and AI solutions, UNDP administrator Achim Steiner said. The partnership includes the development of a framework to leverage AI technologies, toward achieving the 2030 SDGs, Wam reports.

G2G PARTNERSHIPS-

Brazil’s tech infrastructure is getting an upgrade with Falcon: ATRC inked an MoU with São Paulo’s Secretariat of Management and Digital Government to integrate its AI-powered Falcon Large Language Models (LLMs) in Brazilian government services, reports Wam. Falcon LLM is an open-source AI model with 40 bn parameters, trained on 1 tn tokens to help advance applications, according to the TII’s website.

SOUND SMART- Tokens are how we quantify the AI’s ability to read, learn, and understand from text. The more tokens, the wider the AI’s knowledge base. Parameters are how we measure the AI’s capability to solve complex problems. The ability to translate, generate and paraphrase text are all considered to be parameters.

Serbia is also going to use Falcon: Serbia’s Information and Telecommunications Ministry also signed on to adopt ATRC’s open-source model Falcon to advance AI integration in Serbia, Wam reports. The agreement will also see Serbia encourage local organizations to join the fund to “contribute to the success of open-source Falcon models.”

The AI office signed MoUs with Austria, Mongolia and Colombia to accelerate the adoption of AI across various industries, advance the development of AI-powered digital services, and ramp up private investments in AI, Wam reports. Under the agreements, the governments of the signatory countries will explore the prospects of introducing policies and establishing an international governmental committee to regulate AI technology.

INDUSTRIALS + ENERGY-

Emirates Global Aluminium also got in on the AI action: The AI office signed an MoU with Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) to promote the adoption of AI tech in the industrial sector, according to a press release. The agreement will see EGA collaborate with the AI office to “develop research partnerships for artificial intelligence, including for use in developing new aluminum alloys, and cooperate [on upskilling] EGA staff on artificial intelligence.”

The Energy Ministry debuted the Big Data Ecosystem and Digital Twin Platform at the World Governments Summit, Wam reports. The initiatives aim to use big data and AI for better decision-making and sustainable development in energy and infrastructure. The Digital Twin Platform creates accurate digital models of assets to improve infrastructure performance, decision-making, and resilience. It showcases live data on 3D models, aiding in areas like infrastructure protection, traffic management, climate change mitigation, and predictive maintenance.

In other tech news:

• ATRC’s arms AI71 and VentureOne will partner with Abu Dhabi Department of Health to use AI71’s AI-powered platform to improve diagnostic accuracy and draw up personalized treatment plans. (Wam)

ALSO FROM THE SIDELINES OF THE SUMMIT-

Abu Dhabi Chamber subsidiarySheikh Khalifa Excellence Award signed a partnership agreement with Sheikh Khalifa Government Excellence Programto collaborate on setting unified standards for the assessment and evaluation of the private and public sectors to enhance the private sector’s “workers’ performance and work systems, leading to optimal financial and operational outcomes,” Wam reports.

AND-President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met with more leaders on the sidelines of the World Government Summit:

• Turkey: The president discussed with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan boosting economic cooperation and the situation in Gaza, reiterating the need to cease hostilities and prevent a wider war in the region. (Wam)
• Kyrgyzstan: Cooperation and bilateral ties were the focus of a discussion with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov. (Dubai Media Office)
• Cuba: Al Nahyan also discussed bilateral relations with Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz, signing an agreement to promote cooperation and knowledge exchange. (Dubai Media Office)