ICT and Related Sectors’ Skills Development and Productivity Training Project.
Project No. 4.2.4.1/1/24/A/001
Latvian Language Technology Company Tilde Releases Open-Source AI Model for European Languages
The Latvian language technology company Tilde has launched a unique artificial intelligence (AI) solution – the open-source large language model TildeOpen. It is the first AI model of this scale that equally represents all official European Union (EU) languages, as well as Ukrainian and candidate country languages. This initiative is a significant step toward ensuring digital language equality and demonstrates that even a small country can develop world-class technology.
The project became possible after Tilde won the European Commission’s “Large AI Grand Challenge”, which granted access to the powerful European supercomputer LUMI in Finland. Two million supercomputer hours were allocated for training the model, processing hundreds of billions of words from various languages. For Latvian alone, 29 billion words were used – the largest dataset ever applied for AI training in this language.
TildeOpen contains over 30 billion parameters and delivers significantly higher accuracy compared to internationally recognized models. Test results show that it is 41% more effective than LLaMA-3 and 24% better than GPT-4o in Latvian. It also provides superior translation quality, outperforming competing solutions of similar size.
A key feature of TildeOpen is its compliance with European data protection regulations. Unlike many global models, TildeOpen can be deployed on local servers or EU cloud infrastructures, ensuring data is stored securely and in line with regulations. This approach fosters trust and allows government agencies, businesses, and academic institutions to safely use the solution.
The model is available on Hugging Face and enables a wide range of AI applications – from customer service and translation to education, culture, and public administration projects. It proves that Latvia can be not only a user of AI solutions but also a creator and potential exporter at the European level.
From a broader perspective, TildeOpen symbolizes the European approach to technological independence and the preservation of linguistic diversity in the digital environment. This achievement shows that innovation can emerge even in small countries if knowledge, research, and cutting-edge technological resources are combined. Latvia’s contribution strengthens its international reputation in the technology sector and serves as inspiration for other countries and companies to actively engage in shaping Europe’s digital future.
Source: tilde.ai
Interview participants:
Reinis SparānsSIA “Elva Baltic”Strategic Development Manager, Board Member
What is the main area of activity of SIA “Elva Baltic”?
I represent the company “Elva Baltic,” and for the past twenty years we have been assisting various businesses with issues related to business technologies. Often, companies wonder what exactly “business technologies” mean, as it is a very broad topic. We focus primarily on resource management – both human resources and other resources related to warehouses, company assets, and production processes. In short, our segment is technologies that help companies manage business information effectively.
The company itself has considerable experience – this year we celebrated our 21st anniversary. I have been working at the company for 19 years, progressing from a sales specialist to a board member, and for over five years I have been driving various internal processes within the company.
How does your company identify the skills that employees need to develop?
In our organization, there are essentially three levels at which employee skills are identified and developed. Two of these activities are conducted annually.
First, in the spring, we carry out an employee satisfaction survey, which includes all company employees – currently 121 people. The survey gathers information about professional growth and the areas in which employees wish to develop.
Second, employee development discussions play a key role and take place every fall. In this process, each direct manager meets with their employees to discuss development opportunities for the upcoming year. This helps create a development path and an individual plan for each employee, outlining how their growth will proceed over the next year.
The third step involves individual conversations, the format of which depends on the department and the manager’s approach to development issues. These discussions allow for micro-adjustments that are not directly linked to the satisfaction survey or the overall growth process in the company.
Which trainings or programs do you consider to be particularly effective in the IT field at present?
It might seem obvious that every IT company primarily focuses on technical training, but this is not the case. We invest significant energy in three main areas.
The first area is cloud technologies – everything related to new technologies that enable solutions as cloud services. Within this, two directions stand out: DevOps and GitHub, which are closely interconnected.
The second aspect we emphasize is communication. In our technology business, communication – both with clients and internally within the company – is particularly important.
The third area is knowledge of clients’ business processes. We invest in this area to be able to speak the same language as our clients, understand their needs, and thereby help them become more efficient in improving their own business processes.
In the summer of 2025, the significance of artificial intelligence was particularly emphasized at the European level as one of the key drivers of the European Union’s competitiveness and sustainable development.
On June 10, 2025, European Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton stated:
“The European Union is committed to becoming the continent of artificial intelligence by building infrastructure, investing in education, and developing new technologies that enhance our competitiveness and sustainable development.”
This statement highlights the broader direction of the European Union – to create a technologically independent and secure digital space where innovation and artificial intelligence serve the development of society and businesses. It clearly demonstrates that at the European level, there is a strategic shift from individual pilot projects toward systematic AI integration in the economy, public administration, and education, creating new opportunities for Latvian companies in the field of digital transformation.
Avots: digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu
Powerful Advocacy of Your Interests in Business Negotiations
Dzintars KoknēvičsSIA “Mercuri International”Board Member and Business Consultant
Topics included in the training program:
21 hours
The training program is organized in groups of varying sizes or individually.
Instructors:
Dzintars Koknēvičs
Artūrs Pētersons
Arvils Stikuts
LATVIAN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ASSOCIATION
Offers the training project “ICT and Related Sectors’ Skills Development and Productivity Training Project.”Project No. 4.2.4.1/1/24/A/001
The project is implemented until December 31, 2029. Please apply by sending an information request to: apmacibas@itnet.lv
The project is based on the objectives of the European Union Cohesion Policy Programme:
The project is implemented with the financial support of the European Union Recovery Fund. The opinions and views expressed in this publication are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the European Commission is responsible for them.
INFORMATION ON ACCESSIBILITY OF THE PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION SITE:
Within the project, measures are provided to ensure accessibility of the project implementation site for people with disabilities and functional impairments, parents with young children, and seniors, including:
The opinions and views expressed in this publication are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the European Commission.
Neither the European Union nor the European Commission is responsible for them.