Google (NASDAQ:GOOG)(NASDAQ:GOOGL) plans to expand its digital presence significantly in Africa with the development of four new strategic subsea cable connectivity hubs in the north, south, east and west regions of the continent, the tech giant announced today.
This is expected to provide Cloud access and artificial intelligence tools to 500M Africans by 2030.
“We’re building vital connectivity across the continent, including the Google Cloud region in Johannesburg serving users across the continent, the Equiano cable running along the entire western seaboard of the continent, and Umoja, the first fiber optic route to directly connect Africa with Australia (running through Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa),” said James Manyika, Google’s senior vice president of Research, Labs, Technology and Society, in a blog post.
Google expects these investments to boost GDP in multiple nations, and provide AI training opportunities to Africa’s youth. The continent’s youth population is projected to double to more than 830M by 2050.
Google Translate added more than 30 African languages last year and plans to expand it to more than 50 next year.
“AI creates an unprecedented opportunity to benefit everyone, and Google is committed to making that a reality for people, businesses and communities across Africa,” Manyika said.