China unveils ocean-focused AI model 'OceanDS' for marine research

China's National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center, in partnership with Ocean Press and cybersecurity firm 360 Digital Security, has launched OceanDS (Haihai Zhiyu), a groundbreaking marine-specific large language model. The AI system, already praised by experts during trial runs, marks a milestone in China's integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into oceanographic research and applications.

Unlike general-purpose AI models, OceanDS boasts three core innovations. First, it is specifically engineered for marine intelligence, making it the world's first operational large language model dedicated to ocean-related tasks. It excels at generating content and answering complex, field-specific questions. Independent testing shows OceanDS outperforms the top three freely available general models on the OpenCompass benchmark by 7.15, 18.22, and 25.3 percentage points respectively, in accuracy on professional queries.

Second, the model draws from an extensive ocean-centric database, built using advanced incremental vector technology. Its repository includes curated marine-related books, research papers, policy documents and industry reports, totaling over 1.8 billion data tokens – a treasure trove of digitized marine knowledge. Metadata encryption ensures robust data security and compliance with intellectual property standards.

Third, OceanDS prioritizes safety and accessibility. Developed with an industry-leading framework, the platform guarantees stable performance while offering flexible access options, making it adaptable for a diverse user base.

Following successful pilot programs across multiple institutions, the research team aims to adopt large language models into natural resource management and other sectors. This initiative aligns with China's broader push to accelerate the intelligent transformation of industries through specialized AI tools.