Opera to emerge as the first major browser

A new set of artificial intelligence features will be added to Opera’s flagship browser, Opera One, as well as its gaming browser, Opera GX, according to an announcement made by the company. Opera was the first browser to offer support for on-device artificial intelligence (AI) in April 2024. This was accomplished by allowing access to local LLMs directly within the programme.

As of right now, Opera is making preparations for this functionality to move out of the experimental early access stage and into the flagship browsers that it offers, which are utilised by millions of people on a daily basis. The support for on-device artificial intelligence will be made available across all Windows, MacOS, and Linux devices. This will make it possible to access on-device AI on both outdated and newly developed technology.

Our sector is currently placing a significant emphasis on advancing artificial intelligence (AI) in both hardware and software realms. In a statement, Krystian Kolondra, the Executive Vice President of Browsers and Gaming, emphasized the importance of these developments. He announced that Opera is taking a significant step forward by moving their on-device browser AI function from the Opera Developer testbed to their flagship Opera One browser. This transition underscores Opera’s commitment to integrating cutting-edge AI technology into their main product, ensuring that users benefit from the latest innovations in AI-enhanced browsing.

As part of the AI Feature Drops Programme, Opera was the first browser to deliver such a feature to its public. This was accomplished through the initial trial release of on-device artificial intelligence in April 2024. Support for over two thousand local LLM variants originating from over sixty families of devices has been introduced to Opera’s browser since that time. This move represented the first time that local LLMs could be easily accessed and maintained from a major browser by utilising a functionality that was integrated into the browser itself to accomplish this.

Krystian Kolondra, the Executive Vice President of Browsers and Gaming mentioned that they are pushing the frontiers of what is possible today and allowing new use cases with on-device AI support. They are also bringing an additional level of privacy for our users by limiting the need to upload their personal data to servers while utilising AI.

Within the developer stream of its browser, Opera continues to release the most cutting-edge and innovative artificial intelligence features as part of its AI Feature Drops programme.

Aria, the artificial intelligence that powers Opera’s browser, achieved the capacity to comprehend images this week. Through the use of this newly added function, users are able to upload photographs to Aria in the sidebar chat and then ask questions about those images. They are provided with information about an image as well as the necessary context regarding it by the artificial intelligence platform.

With the recent deployment of the NVIDIA H100 card-powered AI data cluster in Iceland, Opera has reinforced its commitment to making AI accessible to all its users. This cluster, ranked as the world’s 88th most powerful supercomputer, operates solely on green energy, showcasing Opera’s dedication to sustainability and innovation. This initiative is further supported by strategic investments made by the company.