Artificial Intelligence Could Add $2.9 Billion to Africa's Economy by 2030
Karim Beguir, co-founder of InstaDeep, highlighted the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to boost Africa's economy during an online interview with Wassim Bel Larbi on the "Expresso" show, as part of his participation in the AI Global Summit for Africa.
The development of AI on the continent relies on several factors. "Africa has talent and data, but what's missing is computing power," Beguir explained. Currently, Africa's computing capabilities are insufficient to deploy AI on a large scale. Investing in computing infrastructure is essential to build a resilient AI ecosystem.
Beguir compared this need to a competitiveness and sovereignty issue. "Current AI agents have an intellectual quotient of 120 or 150, and to deploy them effectively, you need solid infrastructure." The announcement of a data center with over 10,000 GPUs in South Africa illustrates the type of initiatives necessary to accelerate AI adoption on the continent.
During the event, Beguir also presented his book, "The Decisive Leap: Building Africa's Future in the AI Era." In it, he outlines his vision for a continent that can no longer rely on traditional economic development methods based on low-cost labor and natural resource exploitation. "With the abundance of artificial intelligence and renewable energy, particularly solar energy, it's essential to rethink the continent's economic strategy," he emphasized.
The recipe for change is based on three major axes: investing in education, developing computing infrastructure, and harnessing the abundant renewable energy available in Africa. "The potential is there, we just need to seize these opportunities," he concluded.
