| By: Francis Onyemachi
The Federal Government has launched a national shared AI compute infrastructure aimed at giving researchers, startups and public institutions the computing power needed to develop world-class artificial intelligence solutions in Nigeria.
The infrastructure, unveiled on Friday through the Nigeria AI Scaling Hub (NAISH), will provide startups, government institutions and academic researchers with access to high-performance computing resources hosted by Galaxy Backbone and supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Speaking on the initiative, Dr Bosun Tijani, the minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, said access to computing infrastructure has become one of the biggest barriers to AI innovation worldwide.
He said the new platform is expected to lower that barrier for Nigerian innovators and help them build globally competitive AI solutions from within the country.
“The Nigeria AI Scaling Hub (NAISH) is a national platform established to accelerate the adoption and scaling of Artificial Intelligence across Nigeria by connecting innovators, researchers, startups, government, academia and development partners.
“It provides the infrastructure, partnerships and support needed to move proven AI solutions from pilot to large-scale deployment, while expanding access to critical resources such as shared compute, strengthening collaboration across the ecosystem, and enabling AI innovation to address national priorities and compete globally,” Tijani said.
The minister said the launch of the hub also marks the start of the Scaling AI for Development (SAID) Challenge, an initiative designed to connect government institutions with Nigerian AI startups to develop solutions for public sector challenges.
He urged eligible startups to participate in the programme.
“Applications for the Scaling AI for Development (SAID) Challenge are now open. If you are building proven AI solutions that can improve public service delivery, I encourage you to apply at naish.lbs.edu.ng,” he said.
Tijani commended the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Galaxy Backbone, Lagos Business School and other ecosystem partners for supporting the initiative, describing the collaboration as an important step towards building an inclusive AI ecosystem capable of delivering practical benefits for Nigerians.
High-performance computing remains one of the most expensive requirements for developing artificial intelligence, limiting the ability of many startups and research institutions in emerging markets to compete globally.
The Nigeria AI Scaling Hub (NAISH) is expected to help bridge that gap by expanding access to computing infrastructure while bringing together AI startups, researchers, universities, government agencies and development partners to accelerate the deployment of locally developed AI solutions that address Nigeria’s development priorities.
