Author: Akin Naphtal

At its Vision event on Tuesday 9th April, US tech giant, Intel, introduced its Gaudi 3 artificial intelligence chip, in its bid to challenge to rival chipmaker Nvidia’s foothold in the semiconductor market powering AI technologies. Nvidia currently commands approximately 83% of the data centre chip market, with Google’s custom tensor processing units (TPUs) comprising a significant portion of the remaining share. To rise up the pecking order, Intel’s has to develop a competitive bundle of chips and software capable of rivalling Nvidia’s offerings in the AI space. Intel’s newly unveiled chip is positioned to address the growing demand for…

Microsoft, has announced an investment of $2.9 billion in Japan’s cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) sector over the span of two years, marking the tech giant’s largest commitment in the country since it commenced operations there 46 years ago. The announcement, made on Tuesday 9th April, shows Microsoft being dedicated to enhancing its cloud and AI infrastructure in Japan. The investment will not only fuel the expansion of its cloud capabilities but also facilitate the development of AI technologies. Moreover, Microsoft aims to contribute to the upskilling of three million individuals in AI-related fields, thereby fostering talent development within the…

Cloud computing company, Amazon Web Services (AWS), has maintained its lead over rivals Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud, in the race for the foremost position in the global cloud market, securing a 31% share, according to a report from Stocklytics.com. Financial analyst at Stocklytics, Edith Reads, offered insights into the competitive landscape of the cloud market, stating, “the cloud market is proving competitive with players keen to tap into the new users. AWS is outstanding due to its robust technology, competitive pricing, and early entry into the market. However, other players like Azure and Google Cloud are catching up.” Emerging…

Italy’s government has drafted a bill which shows the country considering meting out stricter penalties for Artificial Intelligence-related crimes, including offenses such as market manipulation and money laundering. A draft law bill obtained by Reuters on Tuesday has shed more light on the proposed measures aimed at addressing the growing influence of AI on criminal activities. The 25-article draft bill outlined essential principles concerning “research, experimentation, development, adoption, and application” of AI within Italy. It stressed that it’s important to manage AI’s impact on human rights and mitigate the economic and social risks associated with it. While subject to potential…

US tech giant, Microsoft has unveiled plans to establish a new artificial intelligence (AI) hub in London, as part of the tech giant’s aim to focus on product development and research within the realm of AI. The newly-formed unit will be headed by Mustafa Suleyman, a London-native who co-founded Google DeepMind. Suleyman, who joined Microsoft in March, brings with him a wealth of experience in AI research and development. Microsoft is the primary backer of OpenAI, the organisation behind ChatGPT, but Europe’s competition for AI talent could lead to Microsoft poaching talent from OpenAI and other AI-focused entities like DeepMind…

The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has partnered with Sterling Bank to introduce the ‘Payables Finance’ supply chain finance product to the Nigerian market, in a bid to enhance trade finance solutions in Nigeria. Branded as ‘Afreximbank Tradelink,’ this innovative offering is part of Afreximbank’s digital suite under the Africa Trade Gateway (ATG) initiative, which aims to equip African corporates and commercial banks with digital tools to streamline trade processes. Payables Finance provides suppliers with access to financing by allowing them to receive early payments for approved invoices from corporate buyers. This arrangement enables suppliers to manage their working capital effectively,…

French multinational energy company, ENGIE Energy Access (EEA) will be partaking in the Invest in African Energy (IAE) forum in Paris this May, which will see EEA’s Head of Funding, Marie Testard, addressing the subject of unlocking clean energy finance in Africa. EEA, represents a leading mini-grid and off-grid Pay-As-You-Go solar energy company in Africa, and has already demonstrated its commitment to enhancing electrification rates across the continent through multiple investments. In Nigeria, EEA is currently spearheading a $60-million mini-grid project, backed by financing from CrossBoundary Energy Access. This initiative is the largest mini-grid project finance transaction in Africa, aiming…

Africa Data Centres, a Cassava Technologies group company, has partnered with DPA Southern Africa, to construct a solar farm in the Free State, South Africa, in a bid to develop sustainable energy solutions This development is part of a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) signed in March 2023 with DPA Southern Africa, a subsidiary of the French utility company, EDF. The primary objective of the solar farm in the Free State is to provide renewable energy to Africa Data Centres sites, beginning with the state-of-the-art CPT1 data centre in Cape Town. President and Group CEO of Cassava Technologies, Hardy Pemhiwa,…

Facebook parent company, Meta, has unveiled changes to its policies regarding digitally created and altered media ahead of the upcoming U.S. elections, to regulate disinformation generated by advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. In a blog post, Meta’s vice president of content policy, Monika Bickert, outlined the new measures. Starting in May, Meta will introduce “Made with AI” labels for videos, images, and audio generated using AI, expanding its previous policy which only targeted a limited subset of manipulated videos. Furthermore, Meta will implement separate and more prominent labels for digitally altered media that can pose a high risk of materially…

Results from a survey conducted by Swiss staffing provider, Adecco Group, have predicted that artificial intelligence (AI) will impact employment within the next five years, with 41% of senior executives at 2,000 large companies surveyed expecting a reduction in their workforces due to AI technology. Generative AI, a branch of artificial intelligence capable of producing text, photos, and videos based on open-ended prompts, has created a divide in opinions, ranging from optimism about its potential to automate repetitive tasks, to concerns over people losing their jobs. Major tech players such as Google and Microsoft have already begun workforce restructuring efforts,…