Portugal launches open model amid Europe's AI sovereignty push
What's the story
Portugal has launched 'Amalia,' its first-ever open-source artificial intelligence (AI) model. The initiative is part of a broader European effort to establish technological independence and reduce dependence on US tech giants like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google. The project was funded with €5.5 million in EU recovery funds and developed by local universities and research centers.
Versatility
Amalia can be used to create custom AI tools
The Amalia model is designed to help businesses, public services, and researchers create their own custom AI tools. It can be used to develop a variety of applications such as virtual museum guides, intelligent teaching assistants, or decision-support tools for the Portuguese Navy. The model runs on top supercomputers (Deucalion and MareNostrum 5), ensuring it has the computational power required for large-scale projects while keeping data secure locally.
Strategic move
'Europe's strategic autonomy is tied to AI'
Portugese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro emphasized the importance of AI in Europe's strategic autonomy. He said, "Europe's strategic autonomy is today, perhaps more than ever, tied to AI." This statement highlights the significance of Amalia's launch as a major step toward achieving independent technology in Europe. The model has been released under an open-source license along with its training dataset and source code.