Alibaba’s cloud computing service taps Meta’s artificial intelligence model Llama to power new software development.
E-commerce group Alibaba will become the first Chinese company to make use of Meta’s open-source artificial intelligence (AI) model Llama to power the zero-cost development of programs.
According to an initial report from Reuters, which cited an official statement from Alibaba Cloud through its WeChat account, it has deployed a Llama 2-based solution to allow businesses to develop software and tools using AI:
“Today, Alibaba Cloud has launched the first training and deployment solution for the entire Llama2 series in China, welcoming all developers to create customised large models on Alibaba Cloud.”
Meta’s Llama 2 model was released in July 2023 as a free-to-use service rivaling early movers, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard. Meta intends to allow Llama 2 to be free to use for companies with less than 700 million monthly active users.
The announcement from Meta highlighted that Microsoft remained its preferred partner for developing its generative AI tool while Llama 2 would be freely available for research and commercial use.
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Meta also noted that it was adopting an open approach and providing increased access to foundational AI technology to benefit businesses worldwide. This includes supporting companies building products on Llama 2, cloud providers including the model in its offerings, as well as research efforts exploring “safe and responsible deployment of large generative models.”
Alibaba Cloud is set to become one of a handful of prominent cloud computing services, including Amazon Web Services, that will tap into Llama 2’s large language model.
The development comes after the United States moved to curtail the sale of select AI processing hardware chips in June 2023 as the country looks to retain a competitive advantage in the rapidly developing AI sector.
The Reuters report also suggests that the integration of Meta’s new AI model could present an avenue for the country to reaffirm ties with China. Meta’s Facebook has been banned in China since 2009, alongside Twitter, YouTube and other Western-based social media and content platforms.
Cointelegraph has contacted Alibaba Cloud and Meta for more details of the Llama 2 integration but did not receive a response by publication.