Episode description

What does it take to build a localized large language model (LLM) in Malaysia?

In this episode of Open For Business, we speak with Khalil Nooh, Co-Founder & CEO of Mesolitica, about how his startup is developing Malaysia’s own LLM, MaLLaM, and the challenges of AI sovereignty in the region. Khalil dives into his journey from early Natural Language Processing projects to creating an LLM tailored for the Malaysian context.

Key areas covered include:

- The evolution from chatbots and NLP to large language models (LLMs)

- The inspiration and technical challenges behind building MaLLaM

- How Mesolitica is leveraging AI for local businesses and government use

- The importance of AI sovereignty and local data governance

- Mesolitica’s approach to developing cost-efficient AI models

- How Mesolitica plans to scale its LLM across Southeast Asia

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