At the AWS Summit 2024 in Johannesburg, AWS reinforced its commitment to expanding its cloud and AI services across Africa. The tech giant announced a significant investment plan, dedicating an additional $1.7 billion by 2029 to build infrastructure and meet the growing demands of its customers in the region. This investment follows AWS’s substantial previous expenditures, underscoring its strategic focus on Sub-Saharan Africa.
Chris Erasmus, Country General Manager for South Africa at AWS, highlighted the thriving AWS community in Sub-Saharan Africa, which includes thousands of customers and over 6,000 partners. He emphasized the company’s ongoing efforts to enhance its services, with the Cape Town region alone hosting more than 160 AWS access services.
Celebrating its 20-year presence on the continent, AWS has achieved notable milestones, including a major renewable energy goal. AWS announced that it has powered 100% of its infrastructure through renewable energy in South Africa, reaching this target seven years ahead of schedule. The company’s solar plant in Northern Cape generates up to 28,000 megawatt-hours of renewable energy annually.
At the summit, AWS showcased its advancements in Generative AI with Amazon Bedrock, a fully managed service providing access to foundation models from leading AI companies via a single API. David Brown, Vice President of AWS Compute and Networking Services, emphasized the revolutionary potential of generative AI in addressing global challenges across various industries.
AWS’s expansion plans are set to continue, with ongoing efforts to enhance operations throughout Africa. The company also highlighted customer success stories from Goldfields, JSE, and Adobe, illustrating the transformative impact of AWS cloud and AI technologies on their businesses.
The summit underscored AWS’s role as a leader in cloud and AI innovation in Africa, reflecting its dedication to driving technological progress and supporting regional growth.
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