INTELLIGENT TECHNOLOGY

INFRASTRUCTURE

NICIS promotes scientific and industrial development by providing highperformance computing capabilities, high-speed network connectivity and national research data infrastructure. These capabilities are integrated with globally connected systems and local research infrastructure, providing South Africa’ s research and education communities with access to computing, networking and data services.

NICIS is a national initiative of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation and is implemented by the CSIR.

The Centre for High Performance Computing( CHPC) is one of its three pillars, providing high-performance computing resources and services to researchers across academia, government and industry.

The other two pillars are the South African National Research Network( SANReN), which provides high-speed connectivity and advanced networking services to the research and education sector, and the Data Intensive Research Initiative of South Africa( DIRISA), which provides national research data infrastructure and services.

The committee noted that the CHPC is helping position South Africa as a continental leader in the implementation of artificial intelligence technologies across e-government, higher education, research, industry and communities.

NICIS also supports the Electronic Vaccination Data System, enabling secure vaccination registration, certification and real-time health data management.

Beyond healthcare, the infrastructure supports sectors including engineering, ICT, biotechnology, mining and aerospace through advanced computing, AI and big data capabilities.

Digital sovereignty emerged as another important aspect of NICIS. The infrastructure provides secure environments for critical government and research data, while supporting cybersecurity and reducing dependence on foreign infrastructure.

Through SANReN and DIRISA, NICIS provides high-speed connectivity and secure data services to universities, TVET colleges, science councils and research institutions. DIRISA also operates a secure national data centre capable of storing critical research and government information, strengthening data governance and national digital resilience.

The committee said sustained investment in these capabilities could reduce South

Africa’ s reliance on foreign cloud services and international data storage while expanding secure, locally hosted cloud and storage capabilities for government, research institutions and industry.

However, the oversight visit also highlighted infrastructure challenges. The committee observed that the CHPC requires expansion, with the current facility having reached its maximum capacity and existing infrastructure insufficient to accommodate future growth.

It consequently highlighted the need for continued investment across the CHPC, SANReN and DIRISA to upgrade and modernise their infrastructure.

With demand for computing, AI and data services continuing to increase, sustained investment will be necessary to ensure these national platforms keep pace with rapidly evolving technologies and international standards.

The committee concluded that NICIS has a critical role to play in South Africa’ s digital infrastructure and innovation ecosystem. Continued investment in high-performance computing, connectivity and secure national data storage will be essential to advancing scientific research, supporting digital public services, accelerating AI adoption and strengthening the country’ s competitiveness in science, technology and innovation. •

The CHPC houses Lengau, South Africa’ s flagship supercomputer and one of the fastest supercomputers on the African continent. The system can process massive volumes of data within seconds, supporting advanced scientific research, innovation and complex computational analysis.

28

INTELLIGENT CIO AFRICA www. intelligentcio. com