WORLD - In a global artificial intelligence sector dominated by major Western technology companies, a new Arab-developed AI model called “Thaura” is seeking to emphasize efficiency, privacy, and regional representation.

Thaura was developed by Syrian brothers Hani and Saeed Al-Shihabi, who left Syria before 2011 and later settled in Germany.

According to a report by Tech for Palestine, Thaura is not simply an Arabic interface layered onto Western technology. Instead, it relies on a fundamentally different operating model.

Unlike most AI systems that activate their full capacity for every query, Thaura activates roughly 12 billion parameters per request.

This approach significantly reduces energy use and computing power, the developers say.

Thaura claims its system is up to 93% more efficient than comparable models, offering faster responses and lower operational costs. The model is also compatible with widely used APIs, allowing it to integrate with various software and coding platforms.

Privacy is a central pillar of the project. Thaura operates on DigitalOcean backend servers and TogetherAI inference, which the developers say are secure and independent from major technology firms and government oversight.

While some data is retained for technical purposes, the company says user conversations are not analyzed or sold.