Ukraine to Deploy National AI Model with Google’s Gemma
Ukraine is set to develop a national large language model (LLM) leveraging Google and Gemma AI synergy, with telecom operator Kyivstar serving as a strategic partner and operational lead. The project is coordinated alongside the WINWIN AI Center of Excellence under the Ministry of Digital Transformation.
Enhancing Digital Services Across Ukraine
The national AI model will power future digital public services and enterprise tools. It aims to improve service quality, automate workflows, and strengthen digital resilience across the country. Adaptations to Gemma will include:
- Tailoring the model for the Ukrainian language
- Improving the tokenizer for local language structures
- Training on curated Ukrainian-language datasets
- Developing local benchmark tests for fine-tuning applications
Kyivstar’s Role in AI Implementation
Mykhailo Nestor, Kyivstar’s Director of Digital Product Development, highlighted the advantages of using Gemma. “It offers strong multilingual support covering 140 languages, including Ukrainian, and a 128,000-token context window, allowing analysis of long-form content like 200-page documents,” he said. Flexibility in model size and proven performance in other LLMs were also key factors in its selection.
Focus on Local Data and Ethical AI
Danylo Tsvok, Chief AI Officer at the Ministry and CEO of the WINWIN AI Center of Excellence, noted that using an open-source base allows Ukraine to train the model with domestic datasets. This approach reduces linguistic and ethical risks while ensuring the AI aligns with local needs.
Google’s Support for Ukraine’s AI Initiatives
Krzysztof Kaziow, Director of Customer Engineering CEE at Google Cloud, praised the project, saying: “The choice of Gemma reflects its balance of performance and resource efficiency. Google fully supports Ukraine’s national AI initiative and its collaboration with Kyivstar.”
This collaboration marks a significant step in ai projects in African countries—and Ukraine’s regional peers can look to this model for guidance on building robust national AI capabilities.
Explore more about Ukraine’s AI developments and technology travel opportunities here.
This story was first reported by Developing Telecoms. Read the full article here.
