• HUMAIN, Saudi Arabia’s national AI firm backed by PIF, will launch its new Arabic-centric foundation model ALLaM 34B this month.
• The model is trained for Arabic language and culture, with a Saudi focus, and paired with a public HUMAIN Chat suite.
• Formed through major tech mergers, HUMAIN is building Saudi’s AI value chain, spanning data centers, infrastructure, and sovereign Arabic AI models.

HUMAIN

Saudi’s national artificial intelligence company formed by PIF, Humain, will launch a new Arabic-centric AI foundation model. The company intends to launch this mode by the end of August.

The new AI model ALLaM 34B has been trained and fine-tuned for performance in the Arabic language and Arab culture. This is with a specific focus on Saudi Arabia. Moreover, it will not be a stand-alone model, instead it is developed  with an entire HUMAIN Chat application suite that will be available to the public.

The ALLaM development team included 40 PhD researchers who worked to train the new model with proprietary data sets in the Kingdom.

AI Model

Launched last May, the AI company drives and develops a wide range of key technology areas for the Kingdom. This includes next-generation data centres, advanced AI infrastructure, and Arabic AI models.

It was formed via the merger of several other technology operations. This includes the  Saudi Company for AI (SCAI) and the AI model development team Saudi Data & Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA). It also brought in AI experts from Aramco Digital and Tonomus.

Earlier this year, HUMAIN announced a comprehensive approach to developing Saudi Arabia’s AI value chain. Its scope includes developing advanced Arabic large language models. It also includes AI-native platforms designed to serve sovereign, enterprise and AI laboratory customers globally.

Bottom Line: HUMAIN’s launch of ALLaM 34B signals Saudi Arabia’s intent to lead in Arabic AI. It combines sovereign data, top researchers, and a full application suite. Thus, the Kingdom is aiming to position itself not just as a regional AI player, but as a global contender in language-specific generative AI.