Kenyan tech collective reveals cloud-based AI lab, aiming to enhance employment opportunities and advancements in innovation
Kenya Launches "One Percent Cloud and AI Lab" to Boost Digital Innovation
Kenya has taken a significant step forward in its digital transformation journey with the launch of the "One Percent Cloud and AI Lab". This collaborative platform aims to nurture the next generation of innovators in cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI), and position Kenya as a leader in the AI and cloud revolution.
The Lab, a coalition of Kenyan technology organizations, is focused on innovations aligned with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. It promotes AI applications in various sectors, including fintech, manufacturing, aviation, digital commerce, and informal retail, with agriculture being a core focus. The goal is to boost yields, increase profitability, and support AI-driven projects that open economic opportunities and strengthen small businesses.
The Lab is built on locally deployed Siscom clusters, ensuring data sovereignty and privacy. Siscom, an African-owned infrastructure company, offers high-performance computing clusters and GPU nodes with flexible, pay-as-you-go pricing in local currency. This local hosting of large language models is seen as important by companies, as expressed by Alfred Ongere, founder of AI Kenya.
Grassroots engagement is a key priority for the Lab, emphasized by Martin Irungu, director at Empserve Kenya. Upskilling and inclusion, particularly among women graduates, are also important, according to Martin Irungu. The Lab seeks to generate one million direct digital jobs by 2030 and millions more indirectly.
The Lab is more than just a platform for developers, AI scientists, and entrepreneurs to build, test, and launch solutions tailored for African markets. It also encourages collaboration between startups and large corporates, creating an open innovation environment for co-creation. The Siscom Developer Campus aims to provide junior developers with real-world collaboration and problem-solving opportunities.
Kenya's digital transformation journey is not new. The country has been a hub for AI innovation, especially in fields like healthcare and education. Initiatives such as AI Consult have been implemented in partnership with Penda Health to enhance clinical decision-making in primary care settings. Africa, including Kenya, is experiencing significant growth in cloud computing, with a focus on infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and the development of data centers.
To address digital employment and skills gaps more broadly, Africa is exploring strategies like open-source AI models and public-private partnerships to foster innovation and education. The continent is also discussing broader initiatives, such as the proposed Africa AI Fund, which aims to invest heavily in developing AI ecosystems and creating jobs.
The success of the Lab could reshape the continent's development trajectory and potentially make Kenya a leader in AI innovation in the region, according to Alfred Ongere. The Lab aims to unlock a wave of digital innovation that addresses real societal needs, and it could play a significant role in Kenya's digital future.
- The One Percent Cloud and AI Lab, aiming to boost Kenya's position as a leader in AI and cloud revolution, encourages AI applications in various sectors beyond agriculture, such as education-and-self-development and health.
- In line with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, the Lab aims to generate one million direct digital jobs by 2030 and millions more indirectly, focusing on upskilling and inclusion, particularly among women graduates.
- To further support local innovation, the Lab is built on locally deployed Siscom clusters for data-and-cloud-computing, ensuring data sovereignty and privacy, and offering flexible, pay-as-you-go pricing in local currency.
- Leveraging technology like artificial-intelligence, the Lab could play a significant role in various industries, such as business, including online-education, and impact Kenya's digital future in a positive way.
