INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Data Centres
Future of African business is combination of physical and virtual environments
Data is being amassed , and at speed , looking at how much faster organisations are now able to reach 50 million users . It took airlines 68 years to reach the 50 million user mark , compared to the telephone 50 years , the Internet , seven years , Facebook , three years and WeChat , one year . Pokémon Go took a mere 19 days to reach 50 million people .
At Vertiv ’ s recent Accelerate 2.0 event in Durban and Cape Town , Jon Abbott , Technologies Director and Industry Advisory for Strategic Clients in EMEA at Vertiv , highlighted three pivotal factors reshaping society in Africa and across the rest of the globe .
Digitalisation
Across the world , digitalisation has permeated every facet of our lives , and Africa is no exception .
Jon Abbott , Technologies Director and Industry Advisory for Strategic Clients EMEA , Vertiv
the convergence of digital trends , there is a pressing need for robust infrastructure and agile architectures to support the rapidly increasing demands of a digital society .
This would include :
Compute power
enabling the AI revolution of today .
Memory
Central processing unit , CPU advancements have slowed , but graphics processing unit , GPU progress has allowed accelerated IT performance to grow 1,000 times in 10 years ,
Complex calculations with billions of parameters require large amounts of data available , travelling to the chip quickly at speeds of x15 compared to conventional memory .
Decentralisation Storage
A paradigm shift towards decentralisation is underway , heralding a new era of distributed networks and resources . This decentralisation is not limited to industries but extends to communities and workforce dynamics as well .
Decarbonisation
As the world grapples with the imperatives of sustainability , decarbonisation emerges as a paramount concern . Replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy sources and mitigating carbon emissions are imperative for the health of the planet
In the realm of technology , Abbott emphasised the transformative potential of AI adoption , driving accelerated IT performance and reshaping infrastructure requirements . From advancements in compute power to the burgeoning demand for data storage and networking capabilities , Africa must adapt to meet the evolving needs of digitalisation and AI functionality .
Moreover , tangible developments in network infrastructure and cloud migration underscore the continent ’ s growing focus on efficiency and carbon accountability . And as Africa navigates
Data created yearly has broken the 100-zettabyte mark , and generative AI will only accelerate the trend with vast amounts of synthetic data being generated .
Networking
All models run in hundreds of nodes , and networking can be a bottleneck for calculations .
Abbott used the example of the retail environment to highlight what the future could look like , explaining that we should expect a combination of physical and virtual environments . In order to make these on- and offline experiences possible though , the networks must be able to keep up .
“ Africa boasts a rich tapestry of technical infrastructure , from subsea cables to a growing number of local data centres , positioning the continent as a key player in the global digital landscape ,” Abbott concluded . “ And as data is increasingly created and consumed over the next few years , local stakeholders must collaborate to harness the transformative power of technology for growth , sustainability and prosperity for all Africans .” p
58 INTELLIGENTCIO AFRICA www . intelligentcio . com