Portugal has launched AMALIA, a 9 billion-parameter open-source AI model, with a €7 million investment to ensure national autonomy over AI technology. The model is designed to serve as a foundational public good, not to compete on scale with U.S. giants.
TL;DR
- Portugal launches AMALIA, an open-source AI model, to secure national autonomy over AI technology.
- The €7 million investment focuses on public good and cultural preservation, not competitive scale.
- AMALIA's success could inspire other countries to pursue similar strategies for AI independence.
What happened
On July 1, Portugal launched AMALIA (Automatic Multimodal Language Assistant with Artificial Intelligence), a 9 billion-parameter open-source AI model. The project was developed by a consortium of researchers coordinated by NOVA University Lisbon and financed with public funds totaling €7 million, with an additional €1.5 million committed through 2027.
AMALIA is designed to serve as a foundational technology for public institutions, universities, companies, and researchers to build tailored AI applications. The model's training conforms with EU legislation governing data usage and privacy.
The project aims to achieve independence from U.S. AI companies and preserve local language and culture. AMALIA is named after Amália Rodrigues, a famous Fado singer and a symbol of Portuguese culture.
Why it matters
AMALIA's success could pave the way for other countries to design their own strategies to achieve control over AI technology, treating it as a public good. This approach contrasts with the U.S. model, where AI is predominantly a private good.
By investing in AMALIA, Portugal is ensuring that its economy has a stake in a technology that is rapidly becoming as essential as any public utility. This investment could lead to broader economic benefits and cultural preservation.
The open-source nature of AMALIA means that its use by one party does not diminish its availability to others, and no gatekeeper can shut anyone out. This aligns with the economic principle that private markets may not supply enough of such public goods.
Key facts
- AMALIA is a 9 billion-parameter open-source AI model.
- The project was financed with €7 million in public funds, with an additional €1.5 million committed through 2027.
- AMALIA is designed to serve as a foundational technology for tailored AI applications.
- The model's training conforms with EU legislation governing data usage and privacy.
- AMALIA is named after Amália Rodrigues, a famous Fado singer and a symbol of Portuguese culture.
- The project was developed by a consortium of researchers coordinated by NOVA University Lisbon.
- Portugal's investment in AMALIA is less than the cost of a highway interchange.
- AMALIA is not intended for direct public use but for use by public institutions, universities, companies, and researchers.
Context
The global competition for AI supremacy is dominated by U.S. technology behemoths and their rivals in authoritarian China. However, European countries like Portugal are pursuing a third path by viewing AI as a public, not a private good.
This approach contrasts with the U.S. model, where AI is predominantly a private good, with access sold on a subscription basis and terms set by private companies. The U.S. has inverted the sequence of handling general-purpose technologies, keeping the foundational layer privately owned.
Portugal's investment in AMALIA is a strategic move to ensure national autonomy over AI technology, similar to how the U.S. handled the internet, GPS, and modern computing in the past. This investment could inspire other countries to pursue similar strategies for AI independence.