G42, a United Arab Emirates-based technology holding group, is making waves in the Indian tech scene with its Hindi large language model (LLM) called NANDA. Manu Jain, CEO of G42’s India arm, revealed that the company is actively engaging with Indian startups and tech companies to build generative AI solutions based on NANDA. This move is strategically aimed at empowering Hindi language speakers with the potential of generative AI and fostering innovation across various sectors.
NANDA, which was unveiled in India on Tuesday, is a 13-billion parameter model trained on a staggering 2.13 trillion tokens. This robust foundation was achieved through a collaborative effort involving G42, its subsidiary Inception, the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, and Cerebras Systems. The model was trained on Condor Galaxy, one of the most powerful AI supercomputers built by G42 and Cerebras, signifying the scale and ambition of this project.
Jain emphasized that NANDA is designed to address data sovereignty concerns, ensuring that data used for training and developing applications remains within India. This is a crucial factor for businesses, particularly in sectors like banking, aviation, and insurance, where sensitive data is involved.
The beta version of NANDA is now open for partnerships with both private and public entities. The model’s potential for applications is vast, ranging from fraud detection in banking to building custom applications for diverse industries.
NANDA’s development is a testament to the growing collaboration between India and the UAE in the field of AI. The two nations have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish large-scale data centers and supercomputers, with G42 leading the private sector initiatives. NANDA, according to Jain, is the first tangible outcome of this MoU.
Building on the success of G42’s Arabic-language LLM, JAIS, NANDA is proficient not only in Hindi but also in English and Hinglish, a blend of Hindi and English commonly used in India.
Andrew Jackson, acting CEO of Inception, shed light on the monetization strategy for NANDA. The model will be offered through various avenues, including as a service on Microsoft Azure, on a subscription basis, and as an on-premise solution with software licensing. Jackson highlighted that the on-premise option with software licensing has been popular for JAIS, as it gives businesses greater control over the AI and allows for integrating country-specific safeguards.
G42’s commitment to India is further solidified through the establishment of a local entity, G42 India Technology Pvt Ltd. This dedicated team will spearhead the expansion of G42’s AI and digital infrastructure development efforts in India. As the business grows, G42 plans to recruit a larger team focused on these key areas. While Jain did not disclose the specific investments made in the India venture, it is clear that G42 is committed to long-term success in the Indian market.
