Riyadh: The Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the global company IBM during the third Global AI Summit.

The agreement was finalized 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.

The MoU aims to establish a specialized center of excellence for developing generative AI technologies, focusing on implementing innovative applications that meet the needs of government entities according to the best global standards and governance frameworks.

It also includes the launch of the ALLaM Challenge, which seeks to develop innovative solutions and stimulate innovation by developing and enhancing large language models (LLM) in Arabic using the ALLaM model.

This partnership is expected to contribute to the exchange of expertise and enhancement of national capabilities, supporting Saudi Vision 2030 goals of building a knowledge-based society and reinforcing the Kingdom's position as a global hub for advanced technologies.

This collaboration is part of SDAIA's efforts to position the ALLaM model as the leading generative Arabic model on global platforms, according to the Arabic MMLU benchmark. This initiative aims to empower developers and users of Arabic-language AI solutions in the Kingdom and worldwide.

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.

SDAIA and IBM's collaboration also includes establishing a specialized center of excellence for developing generative AI technologies and launching the ALLaM Challenge, which aims to discover exceptional talents and expertise in AI.