Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1515299
12 1.2.2024 NEWS "46% of new code is being written by AI, 75% of developers feel more focused and satisfied with their work using AI and 96% of developers claim they are working at a faster pace. AI is the next big platform and now that the first year of excitement around ChatGBT is over, now is the time for the start of the next best new brands to surface." is was stated by Adir Ron, Micro- soft's Chief Technology Officer at Micro- soft for Startups during an event hosted by Microsoft Malta to promote the sup- port that the company can provide to lo- cal startups through its Microsoft Start- ups Founders Hub. e event organised in collaboration with Malta Enterprise hosted several Maltese startups and individuals aspir- ing to start a new tech businesses who had the opportunity to learn more about the support that Microsoft can give them in terms of technology and experience. Adir Ron explained how Microsoft's Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub program will provide select startups with free access to high-performance "super- computing" resources on its Azure cloud platform. "e goal is to make it easier for ear- ly-stage artificial intelligence startups to develop, train, and run complex AI mod- els by removing infrastructure cost bar- riers. We already know that AI development will be the primary goal of the startups. erefore, startups accepted into the program will get time- bound credits equivalent to thousands of dollars of Azure usage per month that can be used for AI workloads to help them test and refine their models during initial development phases when resources are most scarce," he explained. "When It Comes To Startups, The Support Is All There" Kevin Abela, Managing Director of TriStratus, a Microsoft startup compa- ny spoke of his experience working with Microsoft and how his company which started in 2021 is now employing 20 peo- ple, is about to onboard another six and is now opening a second office in Cairo to be able to pursue further growth in the Middle East. "e support is all there and with the technological backing and mentorship that the Microsoft For Startups Found- ers Hub can provide, anyone with a great idea, a well-devised plan and the right dose of passion and commitment can succeed," said Kevin Abela. "e goal is to remove barriers to ex- perimentation with innovative but com- plex AI use cases that require considera- ble data and computing power, like large language models similar to ChatGPT. Lowering these barriers could help more startups succeed with transformative AI solutions," concluded Microsoft's Adir Ron. Addressing the event, Malta Enter- prise CEO Kurt Farrugia said "Malta Enterprise remains committed to fos- tering innovation and supporting the growth of agile, value-driven startups and scale-ups. We aim to create an eco- system that not only provides funding avenues but also nurtures the growth of startups." "We are committed to helping to showcase all support available to start- ups - be it from public or private enti- ties. is is the context of our collabo- ration for today's event. I would like to thank Microsoft for their contribution to our ecosystem. It was great to see you engage with those present at the Start-Up Festival and we're very glad to see you extending your services to Mal- ta-based Start-Ups, we look forward to collaborating even more in the future." AI development will be primary goal of startups Malta Enterprise CEO Kurt Farrugia (centre) speaking to attendees Microso offers free supercomputing to startups for AI development