Gary Chomse on AI Infrastructure Needs in Africa

Gary Chomse, Regional Director for Central and Southern Africa, stated that as AI adoption accelerates in Africa, the supporting infrastructure must evolve rapidly. In an interview with Nairametrics, he explained that AI applications require higher power densities and can experience rapid fluctuations in energy demand, making traditional power management approaches inadequate.

Chomse emphasized the need for an integrated ecosystem where power, cooling, and IT systems work together seamlessly. He advised organizations in Nigeria to strategically plan infrastructure to build resilient, energy-efficient architectures that accommodate local power realities.

This includes investing in modern power management systems and advanced cooling technologies. Chomse also mentioned the regulatory landscape, highlighting measures by the Central Bank of Nigeria that require payment transaction data to be stored locally from 2027, which reflects a growing emphasis on data sovereignty and domestic digital infrastructure.