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Microsoft Corp. and G42 have announced a comprehensive package of digital investments in Kenya as part of an initiative with Kenya’s Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy. As part of this initiative, the Kenya Space Agency, Kenya Red Cross Society, and the National Disaster Management Unit are collaborating with Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab to improve climate resilience. They aim to achieve this by applying AI models to high-resolution satellite data for disaster preparedness and response.
G42 will lead the arrangement of an initial investment of $1 billion for various components in the comprehensive package. One of Kenya’s investment priorities is to build a state-of-the-art green data center, which G42 and its partners will use to run Microsoft Azure in a new East Africa Cloud Region. Additionally, Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab will collaborate with the Smithsonian and Kenya Wildlife Trust to utilize high-resolution satellite imagery and AI to monitor wildlife populations and track livestock expansion near protected areas in East Africa.
The initiative also includes four additional pillars that Microsoft and G42 will pursue with local partners:
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- Local-language AI model development and research
- An East Africa Innovation Lab coupled with broad AI digital skills training
- International and local connectivity investments
- Collaboration with the government of Kenya to support safe and secure cloud services across East Africa.
During Kenyan President William Ruto’s state visit to the United States of America, Microsoft, G42, and Kenya’s Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy formalized their relationship by signing a letter of intent. As part of the agreement, G42 will design and construct a data center campus in Olkaria, Kenya. This campus will be powered entirely by renewable geothermal energy and will incorporate water conservation technology.
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