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Singapore’s national AI program drops Meta model and switches to Alibaba’s Qwen
Singapore’s national AI program has transitioned from Meta's language models to Alibaba Cloud's Qwen, launching Qwen-Sea-Lion-v4. This model, built on a foundation of 36 trillion tokens and enhanced by additional Southeast Asian language tokens, ranks first among open-source models under 200 billion parameters. The initiative started with SGD 70 million funding in December 2023.
Key points
- Singapore's AI program switched from Meta to Alibaba's Qwen due to enhanced performance.
- Qwen-Sea-Lion-v4 was trained with 36 trillion tokens and covers 119 languages.
- Collaboration included additional 100 billion language tokens for Southeast Asia.
- AISG contributed regional datasets and conducted model evaluation.
- Qwen-Sea-Lion-v4 is the top-ranked model in its category in Southeast Asia.
Why it matters
- This shift underscores a trend in AI where nations seek localized solutions over global leaders.
- In 2025, rapid advancements in AI and localized models are expected to drive innovation.
- Previous collaborations in the AI field hint at a wider shift towards partnerships for tailored solutions.
The transition to Alibaba's Qwen highlights Singapore's commitment to developing advanced AI capabilities tailored to regional needs, reflecting broader trends in the global AI landscape.