InstaDeep has
announced that it is deepening its commitment to developing Africa’s AI
ecosystem by opening an office in Kigali, Rwanda.
InstaDeep
CEO Karim Beguir revealed the news at the Deep Learning Indaba, the annual
meeting of the African machine learning and artificial intelligence community
with the mission to strengthen African AI. The office will initially be home to
a half dozen employees with a strong AI research focus.
“InstaDeep has always offered
exceptional opportunities for Africans passionate about AI,” Beguir said. “It makes sense to deploy and grow our team
in Kigali as Rwanda emerges as a leader in building the economy of the future.
We’re excited to share this news at the Deep Learning Indaba with this dynamic
community of African AI researchers and developers.”
The
InstaDeep office will be led by Dr Arnu Pretorius, InstaDeep’s head of AI
research in Africa. Pretorius was honoured at the 2023 Deep Learning Indaba as
the recipient of the Kambule Doctoral Award, which celebrates excellence in AI
research and writing.
“Kigali offers an incredible opportunity
for InstaDeep to keep strengthening AI in Africa, and to continue building
towards sustainable solutions for the continent and beyond,” Pretorius said.
“Rwanda is at the forefront of policy,
with the recent example of hosting a top AI global conference –ICLR– for the
first time in Africa. Having an office in Kigali makes it possible for us to
give many more opportunities for African AI talent from all corners of the
continent.”
InstaDeep
was acquired this year by BioNTech, which broke ground in June 2022 on a
state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Kigali.
