Saudi Arabia is making strides in artificial intelligence through a new partnership between Aramco Digital and Groq, the second-largest AI semiconductor company. This collaboration, announced at the Global AI Summit in Riyadh, introduces ‘Norous,’ a generative AI model aimed at boosting workplace productivity and establishing Saudi Arabia as a central AI compute hub for Europe, Africa, and Asia.
Groq’s CEO, Jonathan Ross, emphasized Saudi Arabia’s strategic advantages, including its vast energy resources and dynamic business environment. He noted, “Saudi Arabia’s position at the nexus of 4 billion people offers unparalleled opportunities for AI expansion.”
The partnership seeks to harness Groq’s advanced AI chips to power Norous, with a goal of processing 25 million tokens per second by early 2025 and eventually scaling up to 1 billion tokens per second.
Norous is designed to enhance workflow efficiency by allowing employees to perform tasks using vocal commands, thus reducing the need to switch between applications. Tareq Amin, CEO of Aramco Digital, highlighted how this hands-free technology will transform future work environments.
Groq’s AI chips, known for their speed, currently handle 544 tokens per second. This capability is critical to Norous’s success, positioning Saudi Arabia to become a significant player in AI technology exportation. “Once we reach 1 billion tokens, we’ll not only be able to serve Saudi Arabia but also provide AI services to Europe, Africa, and even parts of India,” Ross added.
This partnership aligns with Saudi Arabia’s broader ambitions to lead in technology and AI. Aramco Digital has also developed NourOS, a custom operating system that operates entirely through natural language commands, further enhancing user interaction and operational efficiency.
Groq’s involvement underscores the competitive nature of the AI semiconductor market, rivaling giants like Nvidia. With over 444,000 developers using its API, Groq’s cutting-edge chips form the backbone of this ambitious project.
As Saudi Arabia advances towards becoming an AI hub, the collaboration between Aramco Digital and Groq highlights the transformative potential of AI. This partnership could position Saudi Arabia as a key exporter of AI technologies, delivering high-speed, hands-free solutions to billions across three continents.