Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly advancing and has become a crucial aspect of various industries worldwide. Its applications are vast, ranging from medical breakthroughs, improved farming techniques, fraud prevention, to personalized education.
The African continent is also witnessing the benefits of AI, particularly in addressing challenges such as predicting natural disasters, conserving endangered species, improving food security, and enhancing maternal health outcomes. A 2023 report by Access Partnership indicates that AI could generate up to $136 billion worth of economic benefits for four sub-Saharan African countries (Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa) by 2030.
AI is also transforming data centre infrastructure, necessitating significant changes in power and cooling systems. Traditional servers used to run workloads from 5-10kW, but AI chips require about five times as much power and cooling capacity in the same space. As a result, rack densities of 40kW per rack and over 100kW in some instances are becoming common.
In response to these changes, Vertiv has introduced the Vertiv 360AI portfolio to the Emea region. This portfolio aims to support customers’ AI plans by providing a streamlined approach for scalable AI infrastructure. The Vertiv 360AI solutions include prefabricated modular designs to deploy AI without disrupting existing workloads or consuming additional floor space. Initial Vertiv 360AI solutions can power and cool over 130kW per rack, with designs optimized for retrofits.
The author of this content is Wojtek Piorko, the MD for Africa at Vertiv. More information on the Vertiv 360AI offering can be found here, or by visiting Vertiv’s AI Hub for expert information, reference designs, and resources to successfully plan AI-ready infrastructure. This content was a paid promotion by Vertiv.
