Portugal Launches Amalia AI Model to Strengthen AI Sovereignty
Portugal has launched its first open-source artificial intelligence model, marking a significant step towards strengthening national and European AI sovereignty while reducing dependence on U.S.-based technology providers.
The initiative follows similar efforts across Europe, where governments have supported the development of domestic AI capabilities. Countries including France and Germany have backed home-grown AI companies to provide alternatives to models created by major U.S. technology firms.
Rather than serving as a consumer-facing chatbot, the new large language foundation model is designed as core technology that public institutions, businesses, universities and researchers can use to develop AI-powered applications tailored to their specific requirements.
Government-Backed AI Initiative
The Portuguese model, named Amalia in honour of the late fado legend Amalia Rodrigues, was developed by a consortium of Portuguese universities and research institutions with support from the government. The project received €5.5 million ($6.26 million) in funding through the European Union’s recovery programme.
Speaking at the launch event, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said artificial intelligence had become central to Europe’s long-term strategic autonomy.
He stated that the new model would help Portugal face future challenges with greater technological sovereignty and reduced dependence on external providers. He also said the government would continue investing substantially in the project.
Focus on Public Services and Industry
According to the government, Amalia is expected to improve productivity across both the public and private sectors. Planned applications span banking, insurance, telecommunications and industry, while also placing emphasis on security.
The large language model, together with its training dataset and source code, has been released under an open-source licence. This approach enables organisations to build customised AI solutions while encouraging collaboration among developers, researchers and institutions.
Initial applications already under development include a virtual guide for Portugal’s museums, decision-support tools for the Portuguese Navy, an AI-powered teaching assistant to support lesson planning, and a digital assistant designed to improve the delivery of public services.
Powered by High-Performance Computing
Amalia also benefits from Portugal’s investment in high-performance computing infrastructure. The project has access to the Deucalion and MareNostrum 5 supercomputers, providing the computing capacity required to train and operate advanced large language models efficiently.
By combining open-source technology with national research expertise and high-performance computing resources, Portugal aims to strengthen its domestic AI ecosystem while contributing to Europe’s broader efforts to expand independent artificial intelligence capabilities.
With inputs from Reuters