AI
Saudi Arabia
UAE
EgyptSaudi Arabia Unveils ALLaM 34B, Pioneering AI in Arabic Language Processing
3 min
Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund will launch the ALLaM 34B AI language model.
HUMAIN is developing ALLaM 34B, focusing on Arabic language and cultural sensitivity.
Their chat tools, HUMAIN Chat, respect cultural nuances and keep data local.
Groq and HUMAIN ensure quick, responsive service with access to OpenAI's models locally.
Local entrepreneurship thrives, as Saudi AI initiatives aim to innovate and not just imitate.
Saudi Arabia looks set to step up its game in artificial intelligence, with the Public Investment Fund preparing to launch a brand-new language model called ALLaM 34B before the end of August. What’s fascinating here—at least for those of us passionate about entrepreneurship in the region—is the model’s focus: Arabic language processing and Saudi culture, rather than just chasing the “same old” Western tech trends.
The brains behind this local push is HUMAIN, the PIF-backed national AI company established just a few months ago in May. According to Tareq Amin, HUMAIN’s CEO, ALLaM 34B has been built and trained from the ground up with privacy and cultural sensitivity right at its core. Amin made it absolutely clear that this is not just an upgrade of a previous model, but something entirely new—“It’s not an updated version of ALLaM, we developed and trained it from scratch, bundling it with integrated interactive apps,” he explained.
One detail that caught my eye: HUMAIN’s suite of chat tools, dubbed HUMAIN Chat, will be ready for commercial use from the word go—a smart move, considering the regional appetite for digital solutions that respect cultural nuance and keep data local. It’s easy for outsiders to underestimate just how spot on it is to design tech truly “at home” in Arabic—not to mention how often generic platforms end up missing the mark.
I reckon another big plus is HUMAIN OS, their new platform designed to let users interact smoothly in both Arabic and English. Compared to clunky, siloed apps I’ve wrestled with before, this approach could save businesses and researchers a lot of faff. And believe it or not, the company’s tech stack isn’t going it alone either: Groq, HUMAIN’s tech partner, made sure that Saudi servers got access to OpenAI’s new gpt-oss models on their very first day, thanks to GroqCloud infrastructure in Dammam. That should mean zippy, responsive chat tools running close to home—no more waiting for answers that seem to come from halfway round the globe.
On the flip side, it’s early days. The company only launched in May, and while the ambition is there—building everything from next-gen data centres to sovereign language models—delivering fresh, secure platforms at scale is never a walk in the park.
At Arageek, our drive has always been to champion solutions built for MENA, so it’s honestly encouraging to see such focused investment landing here, not just imitating but innovating for local needs. As someone who’s seen startups sometimes dismissed as mere copycats, this feels like proof that our region can set its own tech agenda, Arabic-first and chuffed to bits about it—even if international eyes haven’t quite clocked it yet.
Saudi’s latest AI move has plenty to prove, but it’s a reminder that, in this part of the world, when ambition meets authenticity, the results can be surprisingly powerful… even if the journey’s definately not over yet.
🚀 Got exciting news to share?
If you're a startup founder, VC, or PR agency with big updates—funding rounds, product launches 📢, or company milestones 🎉 — AraGeek English wants to hear from you!
✉️ Send Us Your Story 👇