Microsoft is doubling down on artificial intelligence (AI) in South Africa, committing an additional 5.4 billion rand ($296.81 million) to expand AI infrastructure.
Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith outlined on Thursday, the company’s vision to strengthen AI capabilities and digital skills in the region.
As part of the investment, Microsoft will pay for the training certificates for 50,000 individuals, overcoming the skills gap and providing more professionals with AI and cloud computing knowledge.
Fueling Africa’s AI and Cloud Growth
This move is part of Microsoft’s bigger plan to scale its AI and cloud operations globally. In January, the company announced an $80 billion investment for fiscal 2025 to build out AI-driven data centers.
South Africa has already been a key player in Microsoft’s expansion across Africa, hosting some of its cloud regions and serving as a hub for digital innovation.
With AI becoming available, Microsoft expanding into South Africa shows the growing importance of Africa’s technology sector. Other global giants like Google and Amazon are also beginning to increase their engagements as this region offers a great deal of digital growth opportunities.
What This Means for South Africa
Other than the development of the AI infrastructure, this new plan of Microsoft’s to pay for 50,000 people will greatly benefit the South African workforce. This will allow more individuals to enter the AI and cloud computing professional fields.
For businesses and startups, having access to advanced AI resources could drive more innovation, making it easier to develop new solutions and compete on a global scale.
This recent investment demonstrates Microsoft’s belief in South Africa’s capacity to emerge as a technological powerhouse in Africa. Considering the continuous growth in AI adoption, this investment has the potential to create even greater innovation and investment throughout the region.
($1 = 18.1936 rand)
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