News
G42 Company Inception Launches 20+ Arabic AI Language Models
The suite of tools is based on the 70-billion-parameter JAIS 70B large language model with bilingual Arabic and English AI capabilities.
Inception, a company that develops advanced AI models backed by G42, has launched JAIS 70B, a large language model (LLM) specially tailored for Arabic natural language processing (NLP).
The 70-billion parameter model was created to enhance the integration of generative AI across sectors, including content creation, customer service, and data analytics.
The new model offers open-source bilingual AI capabilities in Arabic and English. The technology was developed through rigorous training and fine-tuning of 370 billion tokens, including the largest Arabic dataset ever used in an open-source foundational model, with around 330 billion Arabic tokens.
Along with JAIS 70B, Inception has also announced the launch of 20 AI models ranging from 590 million to 70 billion parameters. The new tools are capable of addressing the needs of small-scale applications as well as complex enterprise solutions.
The AI models have been fine-tuned for chat applications using 1.6 trillion tokens in Arabic and English. Dr. Andrew Jackson, Inception’s CEO, highlighted the company’s passion for preserving Arabic language and heritage while democratizing AI access:
“Releasing JAIS 70B and this new family of models reinforces our commitment to delivering the highest-quality AI foundation model for Arabic-speaking nations,” he noted.
Also Read: Top Free AI Chatbots Available In The Middle East
After launching JAIS-13B and JAIS-13B-chat in August 2023, Inception introduced JAIS-30B and JAIS-30B-chat, with a focus on Arabic-centric models. JAIS 70B and JAIS 70B-chat have both demonstrated superior performance in English and Arabic benchmarks compared to the earlier models.
Neha Sengupta, Principal Applied Scientist at Inception, explained that JAIS variants were trained from scratch and outperformed others that were adapted from existing models. Inception also used Llama2 to enhance efficiency, reduce computational complexity and lessen environmental impact when developing JAIS 70B.
News
Paymob Extends Series B Funding To $72M Amid Continued Growth
The financial services provider has secured an extra $22 million after strong performance in its core market of Egypt.
Leading financial services provider Paymob has secured an additional $22 million in a funding extension, bringing its Series B total to $72 million.
The funding was spearheaded by EBRD Venture Capital, with support from Endeavor Catalyst. Existing backers such as PayPal Ventures, BII, FMO, A15, Nclude, and Helios Digital Ventures also participated, reaffirming their confidence in Paymob’s business model and potential in the regional fintech industry.
This extension comes on the back of Paymob’s strong performance in its core market of Egypt, where it has experienced 6x revenue growth since the initial Series B in Q2 2022. With the Series B extension and continued profitability in Egypt, Paymob is well-positioned to further its expansion strategy across the MENA region.
Islam Shawky, Co-founder and CEO of Paymob, commented: “We are very excited by our strong prospects in Egypt – where we hold a market-leading position – and the significant traction experienced in the UAE since launching operations there. This funding will help Paymob fully capitalize on the momentum in our established markets, as we accelerate our GCC roll-out. We remain committed to creating cutting-edge infrastructure enabling SMEs across the region to thrive in the digital economy and are proud of our continued impact”.
Also Read: Zoho Expands Qatar Operations & Releases New Survey Data
The expansion into GCC markets has been driven by Paymob’s initial Series B funding of $50 million, raised in 2022 and led by Kora Capital, PayPal Ventures, and Clay Point. The investment fueled Paymob’s growth, allowing it to launch its mobile app in 2023 and grow its merchant base by 3.5 times, now serving nearly 350,000 merchants across MENA.
Paymob has also expanded its payment acceptance suite to offer 50 payment methods through its gateway, POS terminals, and the Paymob app, providing the region’s most comprehensive fintech solution. The company recently introduced embedded checkout services for Shopify and WooCommerce, further demonstrating its commitment to empowering small and medium businesses across the region.