Airtel Nigeria is making a $120 million wager on artificial intelligence. The telecom giant says its upcoming 38-megawatt information centre, now under constructing at Eko Atlantic and scheduled to return on-line in 2026, will power Nigeria’s AI ambitions by providing much-needed native compute functionality.
The power not too way back acquired its first batch of high-performance GPUs, essential for teaching AI fashions, based mostly on Dinesh Balsingh, Airtel Nigeria CEO.
“In case you want to make transformational change, we’re talking about high-capacity information centres, which could take the load of artificial intelligence that Nigeria needs,” he acknowledged at a media briefing on Tuesday.
Airtel Nigeria is adopting a particular market method for its information centre enterprise, not like its major competitor, MTN Nigeria, which not too way back launched a $120 million information centre and cloud suppliers to take care of the nation’s rising cloud requires. Whereas cloud storage continues to be part of Airtel’s plan, the telco prioritises AI compute functionality to close a distinct segment throughout the nation’s foundational AI infrastructure needs.
When Nigeria unveiled its draft Nationwide AI Approach in 2024, stakeholders argued that the imaginative and prescient relied on cheap, localised compute infrastructure. They emphasised the need for up to date information centres with accelerated computing, information, and model stacks.
No matter their significance, Nigeria in the intervening time has about 16 operational information centres, far fewer than nations like South Africa and Kenya, with a blended 75. “Xalam Analytics reveals that Africa has 1% of the worldwide digital infrastructure whereas having 17% of the world’s inhabitants and 4% of the worldwide GDP,” acknowledged Ayotunde Coker, CEO of Open Entry Data Centres (OADC), at a modern public event.
The opening has spurred current funding from avid gamers along with Airtel, MTN, and Equinix. Primarily based on Ogo Ofomata, director of Airtel Enterprise, Airtel’s hyperscale facility will match the capabilities of principal worldwide cloud suppliers.
“We’re going to host big enterprises along with SMEs,” she acknowledged, hinting at ambitions throughout the nation’s cloud market, in the intervening time valued at spherical $1 billion.
Whereas cloud suppliers keep on the desk, AI stays the first play for Balsingh. “Cloud is okay. It’s important to have storage for the cloud, nevertheless which may be a small half. Data centres are actually for artificial intelligence,” he added.
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