Flapmax announced a new collaboration with high-performance computing (HPC) centers across Africa to strengthen the continent’s scientific computing capabilities through the inaugural HPC AI Forum.
Starting October 10, 2024, the forum will bring together leading researchers and industry experts in the fields of artificial intelligence (AI), HPC, and quantum computing.
This pivotal event invites researchers and HPC centers across Africa to participate in advancing scientific research, fostering industrial innovation, and promoting open collaboration across the region.
As part of Flapmax’s ongoing commitment to advancing sustainable and equitable AI solutions, the HPC AI Forum will serve as a platform for knowledge exchange and community building and aims to address the unique challenges faced by HPC centers in resource-limited settings.
Flapmax CEO, Dave Ojika, highlighted the significance of this initiative, stating:
“As AI and HPC technologies rapidly evolve, it’s critical that institutions in emerging regions have access to the latest tools and innovations. The HPC AI Forum is a key step toward ensuring that research centers across Africa and other developing regions can fully participate in and benefit from global advancements. This event will focus not just on cutting-edge research technology but also on sustainability and equitable access, which are core to our mission.”
Key themes of the HPC AI Forum include:
- Sustainability through Energy-Efficient Computing. Exploring how AI models can be safely deployed with lower energy consumption, critical for HPC centers with limited resources.
- Fair and Ethical Use of AI. Promoting open collaboration and equitable access to AI tools across different research institutions.
- Innovation in AI and Quantum Technologies. Discussions on the latest advancements in AI accelerators, quantum computing, and hybrid cloud solutions.
- Skill Development and Community Building. Highlighting initiatives for skills development in collaboration with educational institutions and building a global network of AI and HPC innovators.
Participants will benefit from additional perks including satellite-based internet hardware and connectivity, Intel AI PCs equipped with advanced Neural Processing Units (NPU), access to AMD HPC infrastructure with 1TB memory for computationally and memory intensive research, as well as opportunities for seamless integration with Microsoft Azure for scalable cloud computing resources.
In addition, the event will spotlight opportunities for collaboration with academic institutions, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), to further enhance skill development and community outreach.