Zoho to debut African market with a new Language Learning Model by the end of the year
Zoho, the tech giant known for its suite of business software, has announced that it will integrate its newly built large language model, Zia LLM, across its enterprise applications in Kenya, Nigeria, and other African markets by the end of 2025.
The integration of Zia LLM focuses on advanced AI-assisted functions embedded in Zoho's core enterprise applications, including customer relationship management (CRM), analytics, finance, and human resources (HR), aiming to enhance automation and decision-making while keeping data processing secure on Zoho’s servers.
Zia LLM is designed for enterprise tasks such as data extraction, summarisation, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and code generation. This means that the AI model will be capable of sifting through large amounts of data, condensing it into easily digestible formats, and even generating code for various tasks.
A notable aspect of Zia LLM is that customers will not incur any extra cost to access these AI-powered capabilities integrated into Zoho’s existing software tools.
Zoho began embedding AI into its applications in 2017 and has since supported other large language models, including ChatGPT, Llama, and DeepSeek. However, Zia LLM represents Zoho's most advanced step yet toward making AI a core feature of enterprise software in Africa.
Interestingly, Zia LLM has been developed fully internally by Zoho without a third-party model. The AI model comes in three sizes: 1.3 billion, 2.6 billion, and 7 billion parameters, each tuned for different contexts.
As for larger models of Zia LLM, they are planned by late 2025. However, Zoho has not specified the applications in Africa that will first feature Zia LLM, or whether the rollout will be phased.
In Kenya, Zoho's revenues grew by 39% in 2024 compared to 2023, according to Veerakumar Natarajan, country director, Kenya. The company declined to share specific figures regarding its revenues.
On a separate note, Zoho has introduced Zia Agent Studio, a no-code platform allowing businesses to create AI-driven digital employees (agents) that automate tasks like screening job candidates, analysing sales, or suggesting revenue opportunities. Over 25 agents are currently available on the Zia Agent Marketplace, aiming to save time and improve accuracy for African enterprises.
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[1] Zoho Press Release: Zoho Announces Zia LLM for African Markets [2] Zoho Blog: Introducing Zia LLM: Our Large Language Model for Enterprise AI [3] Zoho Blog: Zia Agent Studio: Empowering Businesses with AI-driven Digital Employees [4] Zoho Blog: Zia LLM: A New Era of AI in Enterprise Software for Africa
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(Note: The launch of Zia LLM marks a shift in how software-as-a-service (SaaS) providers deliver artificial intelligence (AI) in emerging markets)
Startups in Africa may benefit greatly from the advanced AI-assisted functions integrated into Zoho's enterprise applications, as the technology giant plans to roll out its newly built large language model, Zia LLM, focusing on data extraction, summarization, and even code generation, all without charging any extra costs for its customers. Furthermore, Zoho's no-code platform, Zia Agent Studio, offers African businesses the opportunity to create AI-driven digital employees, enabling them to automate various tasks and improve efficiency.
