LISBON, July 1 (Xinhua) -- The Portuguese government on Wednesday announced an additional investment of 1.5 million euros (1.71 million U.S. dollars) in its national artificial intelligence (AI) model, bringing the total funding for the project to 7 million euros (7.98 million dollars) through 2027.
The additional funding will support the development of the Portuguese-language AI model Amalia and a sovereign AI infrastructure. The model is expected to be deployed across a range of public administration sectors, including education, defense, culture, healthcare and citizen services.
Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said Europe remains heavily dependent on foreign technology, particularly from the United States, and that the development of Amalia is part of Portugal's efforts to strengthen both national and European technological autonomy in artificial intelligence.
Also attending the event, Minister for State Reform Goncalo Matias described AI as "critical infrastructure" and said Portugal could not afford to be left behind in AI development. He added that as the government accelerates the digitalization of public services, ensuring technological sovereignty has become increasingly important. ■