The United Arab Emirates has released an open-source AI model named K2 Think, a collaboration between the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) and technology group G42.
Despite its relatively compact size of 32 billion parameters, the model rivals the reasoning capabilities of much larger models from industry leaders like OpenAI and DeepSeek.
This release is a significant development in the global AI race, signaling a strategic shift toward more efficient, powerful AI architecture. K2 Think is powered by Cerebras chips, which emphasizes high performance and energy efficiency while reducing dependency on traditional hardware from manufacturers like Nvidia. This choice also underscores a broader industry move towards “smarter,” “faster” models rather than just “bigger” ones.
The open-source strategy behind K2 Think positions the UAE as a collaborative and transparent leader in the AI landscape, inviting developers worldwide to access and build upon the technology. UAE has also released a detailed technical report outlining the model’s development process, promoting academic openness and reproducibility.
According to MBZUAI President Eric Xing, the initiative is a cornerstone of the UAE’s strategy to become a global AI hub, leveraging public-private partnerships to drive innovation and intellectual creativity. For a region often overshadowed by Silicon Valley and China, this move marks a powerful assertion of AI leadership, aligning with the UAE’s long-term vision of diversifying its economy.
Plans are already in motion to expand K2 Think into a full-scale large language model (LLM) in the coming months. This ambition, combined with ongoing investments in infrastructure and academic outreach, reinforces the UAE’s commitment to shaping the future of AI and establishing its position as a major player in the global tech ecosystem.