Serbia Signs with UAE’s ATRC to Encourage Use of Falcon AI Models at WGS 2024

Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications of the Republic of Serbia, and the Institute for Artificial Intelligence Research and Development of Serbia. This landmark collaboration aims to leverage the technical expertise of ATRC and its subsidiaries for integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into Serbia’s technological infrastructure.

Under the terms of the MoU, Serbia will support the adoption of the ATRC’s Falcon large language models (LLM) and explore avenues of collaboration with ATRC around Falcon-powered solutions. Furthermore, both entities will work together to encourage organizations from Serbia to join the Falcon Foundation and contribute to the success of open-source Falcon models. 

The MoU was signed by, His Excellency Shahab Issa Abu Shahab, Director General of ATRC,  Mihailo Jovanovic, Minister of Information and Telecommunications of the Republic of Serbia, and Dubravko Culibrk, Director of the Institute for AI Research and Development of Serbia, on the sidelines of the World Governments Summit 2024.

Expressing optimism about the alliance, His Excellency Shahab Issa Abu Shahab, Director General of ATRC said: “AI is a powerful catalyst for innovation and progress. The collaboration between ATRC, the Serbian Ministry of IT, and its Institute of AI Research and Development, marks a critical milestone as we witness an increasing global interest in adopting Falcon. Our shared commitment to the Falcon open-source models ensures a dynamic and inclusive approach to advancing AI capabilities worldwide”.

For his part, Mihailo Jovanović, Minister of Information and Telecommunications of the Republic of Serbia said, “We are taking a step further and thanks to the expertise of the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), we are starting to use and apply Falcon open source models for the development of AI in Serbia. This step forward will help us in further implementation of modernization projects within the Serbia 2027 Programme and strengthen the position of Serbia as a technological and digital leader in the region of Southeast Europe".

Dubravko Culibrk, Director of the Institute for AI Research and Development of Serbia, also remarked: “We are thrilled to embark on this transformative journey with ATRC. By integrating Falcon open-source models across the board, we aim to drive breakthroughs in AI research and development. Partnerships with governments worldwide are crucial for creating an environment where innovation flourishes, ensuring that AI becomes a driving force for positive change.”

The Falcon LLMs are a family of powerful, open-source large language models developed by the Technology Innovation Institute, ATRC’s applied research arm.

The partnership marks a significant stride in exporting Falcon’s capability at a country level beyond the Middle East, laying the groundwork for global collaborative initiatives that will shape the future of technological innovation.