As world synthetic intelligence (AI) growth turns into more and more concentrated amongst a handful of enormous know-how gamers, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is pursuing a unique path. Slightly than counting on imported fashions or closed ecosystems, the nation is investing in open, environment friendly and language-native AI by the Expertise Innovation Institute (TII), its utilized analysis arm based mostly in Abu Dhabi.
On the centre of this technique is Falcon, TII’s household of enormous language fashions (LLMs), which have constantly ranked among the many world’s top-performing open fashions since their debut in 2023. In response to Najwa Aaraj, CEO of TII, the newest Falcon releases sign a broader ambition for the UAE’s function in world AI.
“The Falcon outcomes reveal that superior AI innovation is now not confined to a small variety of international locations,” she says. “They reinforce a imaginative and prescient the place the UAE is not only a shopper of frontier applied sciences, however a driver of foundational breakthroughs in AI analysis and innovation.”
An utilized analysis mannequin with nationwide intent
In contrast to many AI labs that focus totally on industrial deployment, TII operates as an utilized analysis institute designed to translate cutting-edge science into real-world techniques. This utilized focus is linked to the UAE’s wider know-how technique, which locations sturdy emphasis on digital sovereignty, native functionality constructing and long-term financial resilience by embedding superior analysis inside nationwide infrastructure. TII goals to make sure that information, expertise and mental property are retained and developed domestically.
“Effectivity is important for real-world deployment, scalability and sustainability. By delivering excessive efficiency in compact fashions, we’re increasing entry to superior AI with out sacrificing high quality”
Najwa Aaraj, TII
“Our analysis is developed with sensible readiness in thoughts,” says Aaraj. “The objective is to make sure outputs could be translated into options that ship actual impression throughout authorities, trade and society.”
At a time when many main AI builders are proscribing entry to their most superior fashions, TII has doubled down on an open AI strategy. Falcon fashions are launched overtly, permitting builders, researchers and establishments worldwide to construct on them. For Aaraj, openness is strategic. “Openness is central to constructing AI that delivers nationwide and world worth,” she says. “By releasing Falcon fashions overtly, we assist transparency, collaboration and accessibility, whereas encouraging accountable adoption.”
Open launch additionally permits for in depth group testing and iterative enchancment, strengthening mannequin robustness and relevance over time. In distinction to closed techniques optimised for slim industrial use instances, Falcon is designed as a set of foundational fashions adaptable throughout sectors and areas.
Arabic-first AI as a world differentiator
One among TII’s most important contributions has been its funding in Arabic-first AI. Falcon-H1 Arabic at the moment leads the Open Arabic LLM Leaderboard, addressing a long-standing hole in world AI functionality. “Arabic presents distinctive challenges for AI, from wealthy morphology to huge variation between Trendy Customary Arabic and regional dialects,” says Aaraj. “Fashions skilled totally on English usually battle to seize nuance and context.”
By coaching fashions natively in Arabic moderately than counting on translation, TII is enabling extra correct, context-aware functions. Whereas the speedy advantages are regional, the worldwide relevance is evident: Arabic is spoken by a whole lot of thousands and thousands of individuals, but stays underrepresented in frontier AI techniques. “This work positions the UAE as a pacesetter in advancing AI for a globally important language,” she provides.
Our route is about constructing AI techniques which can be each globally aggressive and virtually helpful,” explains Aaraj. “Which means continued funding in utilized analysis, efficiency-driven fashions and ethically ruled innovation Najwa Aaraj, TII
One other defining characteristic of Falcon’s evolution is its emphasis on effectivity. The Falcon H1R 7B mannequin, for instance, delivers superior reasoning efficiency in a compact, seven billion-parameter structure with considerably decrease reminiscence and power necessities. “Effectivity is important for real-world deployment, scalability and sustainability. By delivering excessive efficiency in compact fashions, we’re increasing entry to superior AI with out sacrificing high quality.”
This performance-to-efficiency focus permits Falcon fashions to function throughout a wider vary of infrastructure environments, together with these with constrained compute assets, making them significantly related for rising markets and authorities deployments.
Regardless of working with out the huge industrial platforms of worldwide hyperscalers, TII has managed to compete on the highest ranges of mannequin efficiency. Aaraj attributes this to a mixture of deep analysis experience, architectural innovation and an open supply technique. Current Falcon releases incorporate hybrid architectures that mix classical transformers with rising state-space fashions, enabling efficiency features with out relying solely on scale. “Our strategy is about architectural innovation, not simply greater fashions.”
TII has a long-term dedication to expertise growth and technological sovereignty. The institute operates with worldwide, multidisciplinary analysis groups, whereas embedding superior capabilities into native ecosystems to assist expertise switch. Initiatives similar to joint analysis labs and world partnerships are designed not simply to speed up innovation, however to construct sustainable nationwide capabilities. “Our focus is on long-term capability constructing, not short-term know-how adoption,” she provides.
Wanting forward, TII plans to proceed advancing Falcon by architectural innovation, improved robustness and accountable deployment. Future releases can be guided by effectivity, openness and real-world applicability. “Our route is about constructing AI techniques which can be each globally aggressive and virtually helpful,” explains Aaraj. “Which means continued funding in utilized analysis, efficiency-driven fashions and ethically ruled innovation.”
As world AI growth turns into extra fragmented and politicised, TII’s strategy presents a definite various: open, language-native, environment friendly AI rooted in utilized analysis. For the UAE, it represents not simply technological progress however a press release of intent about its function in shaping the way forward for synthetic intelligence.
