South African institutions of higher learning – the University of Pretoria (UP) and the University of Witwatersrand (Wits) – have received R35 million funding from US-based internet search giant Google to drive artificial intelligence (AI) research.
This, after Google announced a wave of funding and partnerships to expand AI research, talent development and infrastructure across Africa.
According to the firm, this includes $37 million in cumulative funding, as well as the opening of the AI Community Centre in Accra – a platform for inclusive AI collaboration, learning and innovation.
Funding in South Africa includes $1 million (R17 million) to UP’s African Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (AfriDSAI).
AfriDSAI is a transdisciplinary institute based at UP that brings together researchers, technologists and communities to reimagine how data science and AI can work for Africa.
Another R1 million went to Wits Machine Intelligence and Neural Discovery Institute (MIND) to help establish Africa’s leadership in global AI research.
MIND is an interdisciplinary AI research hub that pushes the frontiers of scientific understanding of machine, human and animal intelligence. It focuses on fundamental AI research that promotes breakthrough scientific discoveries and aims to grow a much-needed critical mass of AI expertise on the continent.
To further empower innovation, Google is also launching a catalytic funding initiative to support AI-driven African start-ups tackling real-world challenges.
It says this platform will combine philanthropic capital, venture investment and Google’s technical expertise to help more than 100 early-stage ventures scale AI-based solutions in agriculture, healthcare, education and other vital sectors.
The start-ups will also receive mentorship, access to tools and technical guidance to support responsible development, it adds.
Speaking about the announcements, James Manyika, senior vice-president for research, labs, technology and society at Google, says: “Africa is home to some of the most important and inspiring work in AI today.
“We are committed to supporting the next wave of innovation through long-term investment, local partnerships and platforms that help researchers and entrepreneurs build solutions that matter.”
Yossi Matias, vice-president of engineering and research at Google, adds: “This new wave of support reflects our belief in the talent, creativity and ingenuity across the continent. By building with local communities and institutions, we’re supporting solutions that are rooted in Africa’s realities and built for global impact.”
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