Media Coverage Archives — Carrington Malin

    September 1, 2023
    agbi-g42-hpc-31aug23-1280x719.png
    Media Coverage0

    G42’s supercomputer fast-tracks 40 billion parameter LLM training

    G42 Group’s Inception, Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence and Cerebras Systems announced a 13 billion parameter bilingual Arabic-English large language model, trained in just 21 days.

    The supercomputer Condor Galaxy 1, developed by US-based AI chip maker Cerebras Systems, and announced just a few weeks ago was recently used to train a new 13 billion parameter bilingual Arabic-English large language model (or LLM) called Jais. It allowed researchers to compete the ‘production training’ of the new AI model in 21 day: a process that could have taken several months on alternative high performance computer systems.

    It’s common for LLMs to take months to train, but Jais was trained in just 21 days,”

    Arabian Gulf Business Insight (AGBI) asked me to comment on the development and the promise of the Cerebras-G42 collaboration to build the world’s biggest supercomputer network.

    It’s actually a complex topic, because of the not only the speed of development of new artificial intelligence models and the AI-friendly high performance computer systems that run them, but also the rapid rise of Abu Dhabi’s AI R&D ecosystem. Abu Dhabi-based researchers have now developed a series of different LLM models, including Falcon 40B, which was ranked first on Hugging Face’s index of open source LLMs earlier this year.

    It is no wonder that G42 has decided to invest in the latest supercomputers to provide for the growing need of AI researchers. As a result of the expertised gained, both at home, and via collaborations such as the one with Cerebras Systems, Abu Dhabi technology organisations are gaining world-class capabilities that they could sell globally. The demand for both AI models and the computers that train them is only going to grow!

    You can read UAE-based journalist Megha Merani‘s full story in AGBI here.

    Meanwhile, you can read my article on Inception’s new Jais 13B LLM here:

    CONTINUE READING
    August 29, 2023
    the-maritime-executive-1-1280x719.png
    Media Coverage0

    Proving the value of Naval USVs

    There are powerful forces driving the Middle East’s unmanned systems sector, but perhaps the biggest catalyst for focusing the attention of the US Navy and that of its partners on integrating unmanned systems with naval operations so far has been 5th Fleet-based Task Force 59.

    Captain George Galdorisi, writing for the Center for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC) wrote about the Digital Horizon naval exercise, which took place in the Arabian Gulf last year. The exercise set out to trial and test the integration of unmanned systems, AI and big data analysis with traditional naval forces. He was kind enough to credit some of my analysis on Task Force 59’s activities, originally published in Middle East AI News.

    You can read Capt. George Galdorisi‘s full story in The Maritime Executive here.

    You can also read my original article on Task Force 59 here:

    CONTINUE READING
    August 19, 2023
    agbi-18Aug23-1352-1280x715.png
    Media Coverage0

    The Middle East is buying a lot of AI chips

    We are moving into a new era enabled by artificial intelligence, with both enormous potential and enormous risk. This makes AI and access to AI technologies a growing geopolitical issue.

    The Middle East is buying a lot of AI chips, but an FT news story, which came close to claiming that Saudi Arabia and the UAE are hoarding processors, stirred up some global controversy!

    The focus from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on computational research and development across government, national companies and academia, has resulted in an upswing in the demand for high performance computing power. For example, HP is currently building Shaheen III a 100 petaFLOP supercomputer for KAUST (King Abdulla University for Science and Technology). That system alone will use nearly 3,000 NVIDIA Grace Hopper Superchips.

    Arabian Gulf Business Insight (AGBI) asked me to comment on the global availability of AI chips, the demands for high performance computing in the Middle East and whether AI chip supply and pricing could become as critical as the oil price. My answer: unequivocally, yes!

    The availability, pricing and geopolitics of access to AI chips may well start to look a lot like oil,”

    As the world relies on AI more and more. So access to high-end processors will become more and more critical. In that respect, the availability, pricing and geopolitics of access to AI chips may well start to look a lot like oil.

    You can read UAE-based journalist Megha Merani‘s full story in AGBI here.

    CONTINUE READING
    August 8, 2023
    times-of-india-07Aug23-1.png
    Media Coverage0

    Dubai holds great potential for India’s AI startups

    Dubai Centre for Artificial Intelligence could prove to be an ideal hub for global tech founders looking to co-create future technology applications.

    I was recently asked for my views on the opportunities for Indian AI startups in Dubai and my answer was, naturally, that Dubai and the UAE as a whole offers great potential for many AI startups. And I’m not just saying that because I’m based in the UAE. The crucial difference between the UAE and many other countries, is that it not only ‘talks the talk’, but it also ‘walks the walk’!

    I am frequently find myself impressed by how fast the government moves to create new programmes that help its AI policies gain traction. Teams in government departments across the country are actively looking for the most innovative AI technologies and solutions all the time. So, if you’re the founder of an AI startup that solves a new problem for government, public services or national issues in general, there’s going to be someone, somewhere in a government department that would like to talk to you.

    The UAE holds great potential for many AI startups, most of all because the government actually ‘walks the talk’!

    The recently created Dubai Centre for AI, which was announced in June 2023, hopes to accelerate Dubai government efforts even further. The new centre has already organised innovation programmes in 30 different government entities to identify AI use cases and implement solutions. Meanwhile, in July the Dubai Future Foundation launched a programme to encourage pilot schemes for generative AI tech in government departments.

    The UAE is, no doubt, a fiercely competitive technology market and developers do need to ensure their plans are grounded in reality. However, for the foreseeable future, there is that opportunity to engage with enthusiastic government departments and authorities that are on the lookout for new, innovative approaches.

    You can read UAE-based journalist  Megha Merani‘s full story in The Times of India here.

    CONTINUE READING
    April 16, 2023
    AGBI-story-1280x719.png
    Media Coverage0

    OpenAI CEO expected to meet policymakers in Dubai

    Sam Altman is expected to meet policymakers in Dubai, as part of his world tour, but we’re only one big scandal away from a global crackdown.

    The OpenAI CEO is expected to visit Dubai as part of his 16 stop global tour in May-June to meet with customers, developers and policymakers Since Altman’s visit follows the Elon Musk-backed open letter to halt additional development and training of LLMs like GPT and Italy’s banning of ChatGPT at the end of March, the question of AI regulation is, no doubt, being quickly pushed up regulators’ agendas.

    Arabian Gulf Business Insight (AGBI) asked me why he is making this world tour and why now is the right time to talk to policymakers. In short, time is of the essence!

    Italy’s ChatGPT ban over concerns about data privacy, lack of age restrictions and ChatGPT’s potential to misinform people at scale, provides a clear signal that OpenAI needs to open up channels with regulators worldwide to ensure that they feel they understand ChatCPT and the company’s plans a little better. Other regulators have these same concerns and it’s a significant challenge for regulators to keep abreast of how this fast-moving technology will affect existing laws, rights and data regulations

    If OpenAI expects to keep releasing new more powerful versions, it needs to help set expectations now. So, it would be natural to expect there to be  dialogue between OpenAI and regulators, with OpenAI sharing what regulators can expect from its platforms, and regulators sharing their needs and concerns.

    The more regulators feel ill informed or that laws are being ignored, the greater the risk of further bans. As with any new, little understood, technology, we’re only one big scandal away from a crackdown.”

    As with any new, little understood technology, we’re only one big scandal away from a crackdown. So, it’s well worth OpenAI’s time to put some work now into keeping regulators informed.

    You can read UAE-based journalist Megha Merani‘s full story in AGBI here

    CONTINUE READING
    January 16, 2023
    dubai-plans-to-create-30-unicorns-by-2033.png
    Media Coverage0

    Dubai plans to create 30 unicorns by 2033

    In early January 2023, Dubai Economic Agenda ‘D33’ was approved by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. Among the economic goals, Dubai aims to create 30 unicorns (normally a startup valued at $1 billion or more) by 2033.

    I was asked by MEED, a leading Middle East business intelligence service, to comment on whether it is possible for Dubai to create a unicorn almost every year and how this might be achieved..

    Dubai has never been afraid of setting bold goals and has gained a reputation for meeting them, more often than not. However, creating 30 companies valued at $1 billion in just 10 years? Is that possible?

    Globally, unicorn startups tend to be early movers in the biggest new tech sectors. To become a unicorn startups must find a way of tapping into or creating a new fast growing market that will make an impact on a global scale. Such startups are formed by risk-takers that are able to scale their companies very quickly, and that can attract enough venture capital funding to make that possible.

    A big plus in Dubai’s favour is that it has been actively seeking out and targeting the most promising future economy sectors and building programmes into its economic plans. Recent initiatives aim to encourage new, fast growing companies in artificial intelligence, robotics cryptocurrency, blockchain and metaverse technologies. It is early days, but sectors such as these are among the world’s fastest growing.

    The city also provides an evironment where international businesses thrive, located at the crossroads of Africa. Asia and Europe, with world class business facilities. Dubai was recently ranked first regionally and fifth worldwide in the World’s Best Cities report 2023, which ranked the best global cities to live, work, invest and visit.

    “Venture capital in the region has always concentrated on the near term, forcing deep technology (deep tech) startups to leave the Middle East in order to get funding. Dubai will need to attract investors that have both the vision and the expertise to invest in deep tech.”

    So, Dubai is ideally located to target some of the fastest growing regions of the world. has a reputation for entrepreneurship and is a great place to live, work and invest. So, what’s missing?

    In my mind, the missing piece of the puzzle could be the venture capital to fund the type of cutting-edge startups that will become unicorns. The Middle East region has always been a little conservative when it comes to investing in tech ventures. Although things are changing fast, it is often the most forward-thinking startups that are passed over by VCs in the region. To support a volume of startups in the world’s fastest growing new tech sectors, Dubai will need to encourage the investors that are focusing on those new sectors too.

    If you are a MEED subscriber, you can read Jennifer Aguinaldo’s full article here.

    CONTINUE READING
    January 24, 2022
    tech-in-2022-zdnet-24Jan22.png
    Media Coverage0

    GCC tech in 2022: another big year for innovation?

    GCC tech in 2022: another big year for innovation? Last year saw a long list of government initiatives in the GCC to accelerate digital transformation, encourage innovation in government and create policies to encourage Fourth Industrial Revolution industries. Recently, I was interviewed by ZDNet’s Damian Radcliffe for his article on ‘the biggest trends shaping the digital future of the Middle East‘.

    I have no doubt that 2022 will prove to be an exciting year for artificial intelligence and emerging technologies in the Middle East. There have been so many government initiatives, policy moves, proof of concepts and trials across public and private sectors, not to mention investments in new ventures and R&D over the past year, it’s difficult to simply keep track of the developments already in motion! However, I believe we’ll have plenty of new ventures, projects and initiatives to look forward to in 2022 too.

    However, beyond the addition of more impressive sounding new government initiatives, I believe that we’re going to see more real evidence of initiatives and programmes set in process during the past 2-3 years bearing fruit. For example, the UAE published its first AI strategy in 2017. Now, nearly five years on, the strategy (which has been updated a number of times) has informed the launch of new initiatives across UAE education, skills development in government, investment, new projects and new organisations, public services and regulation. In Saudi Arabia, the progress made on data and AI at a government level, has paved the way for a new wave of government and private sector initiatives, companies, partnerships and investments.

    As Damian’s article helps to illuminate, there are rapid changes taking place across the Middle East’s tech and telecom ecosystems, making the region an exciting place to be at the moment.

    You can read Damian’s full article on Tech in 2022 in the Middle East region here.

    CONTINUE READING
    November 14, 2021
    meed-net-zero-to-boost-regions-tech-investments.png
    Media Coverage0

    Saudi Arabia and UAE net-zero pledges open up opportunities for local tech sector

    Technology firms have a lot to gain from the net-zero commitments made by Saudi Arabia and the UAE last month. In fact, AI technologies, IoT and Big Data may have the biggest roles to play.

    I was asked by MEED, a leading Middle East business intelligence service, whether this presents a real opportunity for local startups and tech firms, or whether opportunities will simply be gobbled up by global players.

    Saudi Arabia and the UAE committed to net-zero carbon emissions in advance of Cop26, the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.

    • The UAE committed to becoming carbon neutral by the year 2050 and to invest AED 600 billion ($163 billion) in clean energy.
    • Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia pledged to reach net-zero by 2060, investing SAR 700 billion ($187 billion) in climate action by 2030.

    Big renewable energy projects and national legislation are obviously important for countries wanting to make fast progress, but there is also a huge opportunity to empower government entities, the private sector and consumers to better manage energy consumption and carbon footprints.

    Experts agree that top-down strategies must be combined with bottom-up initiatives that allow businesses and consumers to participate in the drive to net-zero. This is why I say that the Saudi and Emirati net-zero pledges will create opportunity for local firms. Consumers and organisations are subject to local laws, avail of local services on the ground and are subject to other factors particular to their location, citizenship and juristictions.

    An organisation’s ability to manage its energy consumption, energy efficiency and waste is often dependent on the applicable regulations and services available in their country, at their locations”

    Both organisations and consumers will need better tools and digital services to manage their own net-zero efforts effectively. This provides an enormous opportunity for tech firms across a wide variety of technologies. I believe that AI and data analytics have a crucial role to play here in helping all stakeholders understand how their own efforts contribute to carbon neutral goals.

    It also makes perfect sense that apps and digital services that support carbon neutral goals are developed in the region, for the region, taking into account language requirements, government regulations, energy suppliers and available local services.

    If you are a MEED subscriber, you can read Jennifer Aguinaldo’s full article here.

    CONTINUE READING
    April 11, 2021
    uae-innovation-plans.png
    Media Coverage0

    UAE innovation plans stand to gain from Israeli collaborations

    UAE innovation plans stand to gain from Israel significantly via collaborations following the historic Abraham Accords signed last year. I volunteered a few of my views on the matter to ZDNet’s Damian Radcliffe for his article on ‘how diplomacy is ushering in a new era for Middle East tech‘, which gathers opinion on the Accords impact on the technology sector from Bahrain, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and the US.

    I believe that the UAE’s new relationship with Israel, offers technology sectors in both countries enormous opportunities. As the UAE continues to put in policies and incentives to encourage home-grown innovation and attract global tech talent, it can now draw on some of the resources and expertise that have helped Israel to scale its startup ecosystem. Likewise, the growing number of UAE investors interested in early-stage venture capital deals, can learn a lot from their Israeli counterparts.

    From the outset, the engagement of Israeli tech firms with the UAE has been enthusiastic, to say the least. Many in the UAE’s technology industry were contacted by dozens of Israeli technology companies in the weeks following the signing of the Abraham Accords. I was personally contacted by more than a hundred members of the Israeli technology sector in the 3-4 weeks following the Accords and conducted dozens of market briefings for startups, investors and technology exporters. We’ve since seen thousands of Israelis fly to the UAE, many of them also from its tech sector and startup ecosystem, not to mention a few high profile deals.

    Beyond the initial ‘gold rush’, it remains to be seen how Israeli and UAE technology sectors will invest in each other, compete against one another and collaborate together. However, overall, it seems likely that UAE innovation plans will benefit from the additional technology focus, knowledge and investment inspired by the country’s new relations with Israel.

    You can read Damian’s full article on the Abraham Accords impact on the Middle East tech sector here.

    CONTINUE READING
    March 31, 2021
    impact-of-ai-in-the-middle-east.gif
    Media Coverage0

    The impact of AI in the Middle East: new MEED report

    The impact of AI in the Middle East special report is out from Middle East Economic Digest (MEED), which includes features covering innovation, digital transformation in the construction industry, and update on Qatar’s national artificial intelligence strategy and MEED’s own Digital Transformation Index.

    I was name-checked in the ‘Creating an artificial intelligence ecosystem‘ feature by Jennifer Aguinaldo, which explores the region’s quest to drive home-grown innovation and create an AI ecosystem that does more than simply buy technology from overseas. All the national AI strategies developed by countries around the region include plans to encourage innovation, incentivise startups and nurture local research and development. However, it is Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates that have fast-tracked more initiatives, policy and supporting government programmes over the past few years.

    As is normally the case with Middle East Economic Digest, the impact of AI in the Middle East report is behind the paywall. If you are a MEED subscriber, you can read Jennifer’s full article here.

    CONTINUE READING

    Older Posts