Meta unveils Llama 3.1, challenging AI giants with open source
CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES — Meta has announced the release of its latest artificial intelligence model, Llama 3.1, in a move that challenges industry giants like OpenAI and Google.
The new model, available in three versions, including Meta’s largest and most capable AI to date, continues the company’s commitment to open-source technology.
Pushing boundaries with open-source AI
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg expressed confidence in the company’s approach, stating, “Llama 3 is competitive with the most advanced models. Starting next year, we expect future Llama models to become the most advanced in the industry.”
This latest release underscores Meta’s massive investment in AI, aiming to keep pace with competitors while maintaining its unique open-source strategy.
Say hello to Llama 3.1 👋
Our open source large language model, Llama 3.1, is here to give you access to new and improved AI tools. This new version offers multilingual support, improved conversational abilities, strong reasoning skills, new resources to support responsible AI… pic.twitter.com/H0gdNlqeem
— Meta (@Meta) July 24, 2024
The largest version of Llama 3.1, dubbed Llama 3.1 405B, boasts 405 billion parameters, allowing it to handle complex tasks such as understanding context in long text streams, solving intricate math problems, and generating synthetic data.
Partnerships and ecosystem development
Meta’s approach differs from its competitors in that it does not plan to monetize the Llama models directly through enterprise services.
Instead, the company has established partnerships with several cloud providers, including Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, Databricks, and Dell.
These partners will offer Llama 3.1 to their customers, providing tools for security and management that integrate with the new AI software.
Meta’s partnership with Nvidia allows the tech company to leverage advanced computing chips to train its models efficiently. Nvidia, in turn, benefits from Meta’s commitment to open-source AI, as it could potentially increase the demand for Nvidia’s chips when other companies adapt the technology for their own uses.
A Meta spokesperson noted that while these partnerships may generate some revenue, the primary goal is not financial.
Meta aims to foster an ecosystem of developers and companies using its open-source models, which helps attract talent and reduces overall infrastructure costs.
