Subsea Cables Accellerate Africa’s AI Potential
70% of sub-Sahara Africa’s population is under 30, and the continent is projected to account for a quarter of the world’s population by 2050. Telecommunications and AI companies are aiming to transform the potential they see there by offering greater capacity for harnessing AI.African digital infrastructure company SEACOM is launching SEACOM 2.0, a subsea cable system it says is poised to redefine connectivity across the Indian Ocean Basin, Middle East, Mediterranean, and Southern Europe.The company is addressing Africa’s explosive demand for AI, cloud, and real-time data services. The region is home to 2.9 billion people across 33 nations, with a surging middle class, it says.By 2030, networks are expected to carry over 10 billion AI agents, and SEACOM 2.0 will serve as the backbone for this AI-driven revolution. The new system is no ordinary cable. It introduces a 48-fibre-pair architecture, a leap in design tailored for high-capacity, low-latency AI workloads. Cable landing stations will transform into AI communication nodes, seamlessly linking African nations’ sovereign AI infrastructure to global data hubs.More AI developments are underway. Google has unveiled plans to build four new subsea cable hubs across African corridors. It’s Equiano system already serves several African countries, and the new projects will serve around 20. Google is also investing $9 million in AI training and research in African universities.Meanwhile, Japan plans to train 30,000 AI experts in Africa over the next three years to boost digital transformation and job creation across the continent.In May, McKinsey said Africa has already demonstrated its ability to use technology to leapfrog traditional development pathways with numerous African institutions making the leap to cloud faster than their peers in developed markets.Africa has been quick on the uptake with gen AI, too, with McKinsey saying: “The application of gen AI and AI more broadly already has significant momentum in Africa, and African institutions are rapidly catching up with, and in some cases leading, global developments. Businesses and governments are incorporating gen AI in their technology strategies, and many are using it to solve some of Africa’s most pressing problems in novel ways.“For example, across Africa, AI-driven translation services for local languages that are underrepresented on the internet, such as Amharic, are being used to improve cross-cultural communication, increase access to information, and enhance social cohesion.“In Kenya, gen AI is being used to create personalized learning pathways for students, with the goal of improving academic performance, increasing engagement, and providing tailored educational experiences.“In South Africa, a local start-up is using proprietary AI models and tools, including GPT-4, to help small-business owners better understand their finances and automate the production of easily understandable reports and dashboards.”McKinsey says generative AI could unlock $61-103 billion in economic value in Africa.