• Microsoft has announced the AI Startup initiative targeting startups on the African continent.
• Working in collaboration with NVIDIA Inception, the initiative will aim to empower African AI startups with the support and resources needed to grow.
• Resources include access to infrastructure, opportunities to meet with venture capitalists and more.

There is no denying the influence generative artificial intelligence is having on the digital world but the technology has reached a point where it needs to evolve from being a chatbot and image generator into something more.

This means making the technology appealing to businesses and in order to do that, solutions that utilise generative AI need to come to the market. While company’s like OpenAI develop the underlying technology that drives AI, it depends on others to build solutions that leverage the technology in order to drive adoption and make money.

To that end, Microsoft through its Africa Transformation Office has launched the Microsoft AI Startup initiative. Working in collaboration with NVIDIA Inception, the initiative will aim to empower African AI startups with the support and resources needed to grow.

This includes technological resources, opportunities to connect with venture capitalists and the chance to speak with experts in the field.

“We are pleased to offer AI startups in Africa the necessary resources and support for their success,” says Gerald Maithya, General Manager of the Microsoft Africa Transformation Office.

“Our collaboration with NVIDIA Inception will help startup founders leverage Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure, AI tools, and go-to-market support. This will assist them in overcoming challenges such as scaling their solutions globally and accessing a broader customer base. We look forward to welcoming local entrepreneurs to this exciting initiative to drive the future of AI in Africa,” he added.

This is great news for startups that are using the technology to build new products. With access to Microsoft infrastructure, startups could stand to leverage interoperability to, as Maithya says, appeal to a global customer base.

“As part of the initiative, Microsoft will work with NVIDIA Inception to help fast-track AI transformation in Africa. Entrepreneurs will gain the tools needed to export their solutions globally, including receiving mentorship, access to essential tools like Microsoft Azure and GitHub, go-to-market support, and technical resources, along with valuable networking opportunities,” the Redmond-based firm said in a press release.

As the lead on this drive, Microsoft’s Africa Development Center in Nairobi, Kenya, will provide support to startups through virtual AI training sessions for developers and more. NVIDIA will also host a workshop that will give insights into collaboration and provide guidance on how to use generative AI tools and compute resources.

These learnings can then be used to develop products that appeal to local and international businesses.

To be clear, there are already a number of AI-powered solutions from African businesses and governments but this initiative hopes to bump those numbers up.

While we’re sure Microsoft is hoping to ultimately drive more folks toward its own solutions, if that sees locals being empowered and economies growing, we’re fully in support of it.

There is also scope for increased uptake of AI solutions to drive data centre growth on the continent. This helps improve connectivity and improves local economies through job creation and investment. With AI driving the demand for data centres, it’s expected that by 2026, $5 billion will be invested into the African data centre market.