Artificial intelligence infrastructure company Amini has announced a strategic partnership with electronics giant Foxconn and high-performance computing specialist Bull aimed at accelerating sovereign AI infrastructure development across Africa and other emerging markets.

The collaboration is designed to help governments, telecom providers, banks, energy firms and public institutions deploy and operate industrial-scale AI infrastructure locally, rather than relying on overseas cloud and computing providers.

The announcement was made during the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, where political and business leaders gathered to discuss Africa’s role in the global digital economy.

The partnership marks Foxconn’s first dedicated AI infrastructure initiative focused on African markets, with Amini acting as the company’s strategic regional partner.

Amini, which focuses on sovereign AI infrastructure and localised computing capacity, said the agreement aims to address what it describes as a “sovereign compute gap” across Africa and the wider Global South.

Foxconn, widely recognised as one of the world’s largest manufacturers of AI servers and advanced computing hardware, will provide modular AI data centre systems tailored to local operating conditions and regulatory requirements.

Bull, which specialises in high-performance computing, artificial intelligence and quantum computing systems, will support systems integration and regional deployment through its existing collaboration with Amini.

According to the companies, the partnership comes as demand for AI-powered services accelerates across sectors including finance, telecoms, energy and public administration.

Industry forecasts cited by the partners estimate that Africa’s digital economy could reach a value of USD 1.5 trillion by 2030, while the continent’s data centre market is expected to grow from USD 3.49 billion in 2024 to USD 6.81 billion by the end of the decade.

The firms argue that locally hosted AI infrastructure could help African nations retain greater economic value, strengthen regional technology ecosystems and improve data sovereignty.

The initiative also focuses heavily on modular AI data centres, which are intended to provide a more practical alternative to traditional hyperscale facilities.

Unlike large-scale conventional data centres that often require years of construction and stable power infrastructure, the modular systems can reportedly be deployed in under 12 months and scaled incrementally as demand grows.

Kate Kallot, Founder and CEO of Amini, said the project was focused on ensuring emerging economies can participate in the AI economy on their own terms.

She said: “AI is becoming foundational infrastructure for every economy, yet most of the world still lacks the compute capacity required to participate on its own terms.

“This partnership ensures that Africa and the Global South can acquire, own, and operate AI infrastructure locally, with sovereignty and long-term economic value at its core.”

Foxconn’s Head of AI & Quantum, Jesse Chao, said infrastructure must be designed specifically for African operating conditions rather than adapted from existing global models.

Meanwhile, Bull said the partnership reflects a wider push towards regional computing independence and sovereign digital capability.

French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking at the summit, described the collaboration as an example of international cooperation centred around digital sovereignty.

He said the agreement between African, European and Taiwanese companies demonstrated the growing importance of reducing technological dependency in the global AI race.

Source: Press Release