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The World’s Obsession With Homegrown AI

Countries around the world are pouring billions into building their own AI: a movement called “sovereign AI.”

The goal is independence. Right now, most of the world’s most powerful AI systems are owned by a handful of companies in the US and China. Governments fear these foreign tools could expose them to security risks, cultural bias, or loss of control over sensitive national data.

So they’re building their own. Singapore has developed a government-backed chatbot that can speak 11 Asian languages. Malaysia is training models that understand local dialects and cultural nuances. Switzerland’s Apertus gets the subtleties of Swiss German right. And India’s $1.25 billion “IndiaAI Mission” is developing a homegrown model that reflects Indian languages, laws, and voices without sending data overseas.

It’s a demanding task: training a large AI model requires enormous computing power, huge datasets, and world-class talent. Even wealthy countries struggle to match the speed and scale of OpenAI or Google, which spend hundreds of billions each year pushing the frontier.

Critics say it might be wiser to focus on AI safety and regulation instead of trying to reinvent the wheel. As Malaysian AI strategist Tzu Kit Chan puts it: “Walk the streets of Kuala Lumpur and ask what model people use. 8 out of 10 will say ChatGPT or Gemini. Not a local system.”

There’s also a more collaborative idea gaining traction. Rather than burning through budgets to compete with ChatGPT, some researchers are calling for an “Airbus for AI”: a joint project where nations combine their expertise to build one all-powerful, multilingual system.

MANGO: The Juicier Upgrade to FAANG? 🥭

Remember when everyone wanted to work at Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, or Google? That era gave us the famous acronym FAANG: the ultimate dream team of techies.

But times have changed. AI is the new obsession, and a fresh group of giants has taken over: say hello to MANGO 🥭 short for Microsoft, Anthropic, Nvidia, Google DeepMind, and OpenAI.

These are the companies building the tools behind everything from ChatGPT to AI chips, and the ones every computer science grad now dreams of joining. The only catch? Getting in is tougher than ever, as Big Tech hires fewer people and fights over a tiny pool of top AI talent.

Is it officially MANGO’s era, or would you still rather work for FAANG? 💻

Meet Dr. Yamin Zhang, Creator of the Self-Powering Pacemaker

Celebrating this week’s Woman in Tech 🥳: Meet Dr. Yamin Zhang, a Singapore-based scientist who built a tiny, wireless pacemaker that powers itself - a breakthrough that could transform how doctors treat the human heart.

A Georgia Tech Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and former MIT Rising Star, Zhang’s journey has taken her from China to the US to Singapore.

At just 34, she’s an Assistant Professor and Presidential Young Professor at the National University of Singapore, leading a research group that’s building the next generation of medical devices - ones that can heal the body and then simply disappear.

Zhang’s most remarkable creation is a tiny, wireless pacemaker (about the size of a sesame seed) that powers itself and dissolves inside the body once it’s no longer needed. Inspired by her work at Northwestern University, this groundbreaking device could spare patients from risky surgeries, especially young children born with heart conditions. It’s made from biodegradable metals like magnesium and zinc, and even uses the body’s own fluids to generate energy.

Beyond the lab, Zhang is pushing the limits of sustainable technology, designing batteries and materials that leave no trace on the planet.

AI Around The World:

In the US, biotech firm Nabla Bio has expanded its partnership with Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical to use AI for faster drug discovery. Nabla’s AI tool can design new antibodies in just weeks, cutting years off traditional lab work. The deal could be worth over $1B as the companies focus on developing treatments for hard-to-treat diseases.

In China, AI startups are battling intense competition, flooding the market with over 1,500 cheap or free AI models since ChatGPT’s rise. The price war is pushing many firms to the edge, but Beijing sees it as a way to speed up innovation and challenge US dominance.