Kakao Releases Open-Source AI Models with 30% Korean Processing Boost

Kakao released four small language models (SLMs) of its self-developed artificial intelligence model 'Kana' as open source on the 28th. The company announced it published the models on Hugging Face, an open-source platform, including 'Kana-2-1.3B-base' designed to run on devices such as smartphones. The release aims to support on-device AI capabilities as the company prepares for the agentic AI era. Despite their compact size, the models achieve global-level performance in both Korean and English processing.

Kakao Releases Four Kana SLM Models on Hugging Face

Kakao published four SLM variants on the open-source platform Hugging Face on the 28th. The models include 'Kana-2-1.3B-base' and three other versions designed to operate on devices such as smartphones. The company developed the models as part of its self-developed AI model 'Kana.'

Models Demonstrate Global-Level Performance in Korean and English

The open-sourced 'Kana-2-1.3B-instruct' and the smaller 'Kana-2-0.9B-instruct' demonstrate performance comparable to global models of similar class across dialogue, knowledge, code, mathematics, instruction following, and tool calling capabilities. The models achieve global-level performance in both Korean and English despite their compact size.

Korean Processing Efficiency Improves Over 30% Through Tokenizer Optimization

Korean processing efficiency improved by over 30% compared to previous versions. Kakao optimized the tokenizer—the core technology that determines how AI models segment text—specifically for Korean language processing. The optimization resulted in faster computation speed and reduced operational costs.

Kakao Executive Emphasizes Dual AI Strategy for Cloud and On-Device Models

Noh Byung-seok, Kakao Unified Foundation Model Performance Leader, stated the company is "experiencing the importance of both large-scale cloud AI and lightweight on-device AI while preparing for the agentic AI era." He added that "Kakao is enhancing technological competitiveness in both areas" and expressed hope that "these open-source models will lead to new AI service development by more developers and companies, contributing to the activation of the domestic AI ecosystem."

FAQ

What did Kakao release on the 28th?

Kakao released four small language models (SLMs) of its AI model 'Kana' as open source on Hugging Face, including 'Kana-2-1.3B-base' and three other variants designed to run on devices such as smartphones.

How much did Kakao improve Korean processing efficiency in the new models?

Kakao improved Korean processing efficiency by over 30% compared to previous versions by optimizing the tokenizer specifically for Korean language processing, resulting in faster computation speed and reduced costs.