UAE Launches AI World Model and Silicon Valley Lab

Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) in the United Arab Emirates announced groundbreaking AI advancements, including a world model, new large language models (LLMs), and a research center in Sunnyvale, California. The move signals the UAE's aggressive push into AI innovation under the guidance of Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed al Nahyan.

Key Announcements:

• PAN World Model: A physically realistic simulation platform for testing AI agents in scenarios like self-driving cars, drones, and domestic robots. Learn more about UAE's AI ambitions.
• PAN-Agent: An experimental AI agent trained to perform reasoning tasks within the PAN environment.
• Two New LLMs:
  • K2: A 65-billion-parameter model optimized for reasoning, trained with 35% less compute than Meta's Llama 2.
  • Jais: Touted as the world's most advanced Arabic-language LLM.

Courtesy of MBZUAI

Strategic Expansion to Silicon Valley

MBZUAI President Eric Xing emphasized the Sunnyvale lab's role in accessing top-tier talent and fostering collaboration with leading institutions. "We're creating pathways for knowledge exchange," Xing stated, highlighting the UAE's ambition to scale research into real-world applications.

Broader Context: Middle East Tech Boom

The UAE's AI push coincides with former President Donald Trump's recent Middle East deals, involving US tech giants like Nvidia, AMD, and Qualcomm. These agreements aim to boost the region's AI infrastructure while countering China's influence. Trump hinted at plans for the largest AI data center cluster outside the US in the UAE, with safeguards against Chinese access to critical chips.

For more on Google's take on world modeling, read here.

This report reflects the UAE's emergence as a global AI player, blending homegrown research with strategic US partnerships.