Meta launches Code Llama 70B, an open-source project to compete with private AI development

Meta AI has unveiled Code Llama 70B, an advanced version of its language model tailored for code generation, capable of writing and improving software in numerous programming languages like Python, C++, Java, and PHP based on natural language prompts or existing code snippets. This model represents a significant step forward in automating software development, aiming to make it more efficient, accessible, and creative. Code Llama 70B, which is available for free download, is described as one of the largest open-source AI models for code generation, boasting improvements in speed, accuracy, and the ability to handle complex coding tasks compared to its predecessors. With a training base of 500 billion tokens of code and a larger context window, it assures enhanced performance in generating functional and logical code across a variety of tasks. Additionally, it introduces specialized variants for understanding natural language instructions and optimizing Python code generation, showcasing its potential to significantly impact software development and learning.