Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison and GoTo Gojek Tokopedia have teamed up to launch a local language AI model to help Indonesia develop AI-based services and applications.
Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (IOH) and technology firm GoTo Gojek Tokopedia (Goto Group) on Thursday unveiled Sahabat-AI, a large language model (LLM) ecosystem tailored to Indonesian languages. This initiative is intended to position the country at the forefront of AI development.
In a joint statement, the two companies revealed that Sahabat-AI has an awareness of the local context, which will facilitate the creation of AI-based services and applications in Indonesian and a range of local languages.
The initiative is supported by AI Singapore and Tech Mahindra, which has deployed Nvidia AI Enterprise software, including Nvidia NeMo, to train the model and enhance general language understanding.
Sahabat-AI has undergone comprehensive training on Nvidia's full-stack AI platform and is being launched with two LLM models, one with 8 billion and the other with 9 billion parameters.
"By creating an AI model that speaks our language and reflects our culture, we empower every Indonesian to harness advanced technology's potential. This initiative is a crucial step towards democratizing AI as a tool for growth, innovation, and empowerment across our diverse society," said Vikram Sinha, IOH president director and chief executive officer, in a statement.
The Indosat Group will continue to provide support for the ongoing development of Sahabat-AI's family of models using the Indosat Group GPU Merdeka sovereign AI cloud service featuring Nvidia Hopper-based accelerated computing. Hippocratic AI, the safety-focused LLM for healthcare, will integrate the latest Sahabat-AI models into its services for Indonesian residents.
Collaborative effort
IOH and Goto Group said several universities and media groups will contribute to ensure Sahabat-AI is optimized for the local context and cultural relevance.
GoTo Group CEO Patrick Walujo highlighted that the localization of Sahabat-AI addresses shortcomings in global large language models.
"It will help our businesses to communicate in new ways with customers, it will help our government ministries develop tools to engage with citizens more comprehensively and it will drive meaningful change for millions of people across the country," he said in a statement.
To achieve this vision, Walujo emphasized the need for broader, more universal support from the wider Indonesian community for the Sahabat-AI initiative.
"We are therefore extending an invitation to stakeholders from all sectors to join us in the development of this important open-source LLM ecosystem. By working together, we can drive the country forward," he said.
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