Governments across sub-Saharan Africa have identified manufacturing as one of the most important sectors in driving inclusive growth across the continent. According to the African Development Bank, there is an opportunity to more than double manufacturing output from $500 billion today to over $1 trillion by 2030.
Along with the opportunities of urbanisation, the demographic dividend of a young population and regional trade integration, African manufacturers face complex risks and challenges. New tariffs in one of the world’s key export markets have added to existing pressures, such as rising materials prices and ongoing supply chain disruptions.
Many African manufacturers are grappling with challenges such as inadequate infrastructure, skills shortages, and margin pressures, at a time when export customers are tightening standards for quality, traceability, and sustainability. In this context, every hour saved and every defect avoided is of paramount importance.
Many manufacturers are adopting artificial intelligence (AI) to increase efficiency and stay competitive. AI helps improve product quality, simplify workflows, and improve equipment uptime. For African manufacturers, AI on the edge of the network is emerging as a particularly compelling solution.
Edge AI in industrial contexts
Edge AI brings intelligence right to devices and equipment in the warehouse and on the factory floor, rather than depending exclusively on cloud services to process data and execute transactions. Edge computing delivers a range of advantages in industrial environments.
Because data does not need to be sent across the cloud, latencies are lower, and response times are instant. What’s more, data can be processed even when an internet connection is not available, essential for sites in remote areas with patchy network coverage. Keeping data on the device also addresses information security and data privacy concerns.
In the industrial context, the edge does not refer only to Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, but also to mobile devices. Today’s smartphones are versatile tools for the factory and warehouse floors, incorporating fast 5G connectivity, on-device AI software and hardware, powerful cameras and an array of sensors.
A vision for edge AI smartphones
The high-resolution cameras, accelerometers, microphones and GPS in today’s smartphones could be combined with AI models to create useful industrial applications. For example, a technician could use an AI model running entirely on their device to run quality checks on products as they roll off the assembly line.
Inventory management is another possible application. Workers could use the smartphone camera and edge AI models to identify items, detect mismatches, or flag damaged stock. On-device AI, meanwhile, could guide technicians step by step during complex repairs by recognising tools, components or machine states.
Innovations from smartphone makers and semiconductor companies will play a key role in enabling the AI-powered factory of the future. MediaTek’s Dimensity 9500 and MediaTek Dimensity 8000 systems on chips (SOCs), for example, enable smartphone manufacturers to create devices with on-device AI performance.
These platforms incorporate advanced NPUs designed to run AI models right on the smartphone at high levels of performance and energy efficiency. The MediaTek Dimensity 9500, for example, includes a ninth-generation NPU that doubles compute power over its predecessor and is capable of delivering up to 100 Tera Operations Per Second (TOPS).
The MediaTek Dimensity 8000 family offers rich features for mid-range devices, including power efficiency, a capable AI engine and advanced connectivity features. This makes edge-AI-enabled smartphones accessible across the manufacturing workforce, and not just for supervisors or specialised technicians.
Modernising factories and increasing competitiveness
Our platforms offer quick model loading, smooth multitasking and high-quality image capture that are essential for AI-powered edge applications in manufacturing. These tools can give African manufacturers an advantage as they strive to modernise operations, become more efficient and compete more assertively on the global stage.
Smartphones can thus become practical, affordable tools that put advanced AI applications in the hands of the workers who are closest to production. This can help African factories move into the Fourth Industrial Revolution by leveraging a tool that every worker already knows and uses in their day-to-day life.
Christo Wessels, MediaTek’s Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa. He writes in his personal capacity.
