Positioning Africa as a Key Player in the Global Semiconductor Supply Chain with Ola Fadiran

[00:00:00] You're listening to the Unlocking Africa podcast.

[00:00:30] Africa is primed to be a key player in the semiconductor ecosystem and the semiconductor supply chain.

[00:00:40] Stay tuned as we bring you inspiring people who are unlocking Africa's economic potential.

[00:00:47] You're listening to the Unlocking Africa podcast with your host Terser Adamu.

[00:00:55] Welcome to the Unlocking Africa podcast where we find inspirational people who are doing inspirational things to unlock Africa's economic potential.

[00:01:05] Today, we have another special guest. We have Ola Fadiran, who is CEO of ChipLab.

[00:01:13] ChipLab's mission is to nurture talent across Africa to create states of the art intelligent systems.

[00:01:20] Welcome to the podcast Ola, how are you?

[00:01:24] Thanks Terser, I'm doing well. As you said, ChipLab's mission is really to grow the ecosystem in Africa.

[00:01:33] So in Africa we can create intelligent systems at scale and create the systems that are at the same level as what you would see in the US, in Europe and all over the world.

[00:01:46] Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. I'm looking forward to our conversation but before we get started, I was hoping you could introduce yourself and tell us a bit more about Ola.

[00:01:56] Thanks Terser. I'm Ola Fadiran co-founder and CEO of ChipLab. I grew up in Ocean State in Nigeria and early on in my life I got some accolades that established me as top of the class in math and physics

[00:02:15] and then my journey took me to the US where I studied electrical engineering and physics and then I put some advanced degrees in computer architecture and along design circuits and digital design circuits.

[00:02:31] Well most of my career has been in microchips, AI hardware. So I designed and architected microchip solutions for PCs and servers at the Intel Corporation and then that's Boeing design architected chips that go into space.

[00:02:49] And that journey has really brought me to ChipLab where I'm able to merge my desire to grow the continent, my desire to bring the continent to the forefront of technology being born on the continent.

[00:03:05] I can apply all that I've learned in my journey and the mission in order to create a capability with AI hardware on the continent.

[00:03:14] Fantastic, thank you for that Ola. So you've given us an overview in terms of your early life accolades that you established as a high achiever, your academic and professional journey which has led you to what you're doing now.

[00:03:28] So maybe if we move forward in terms of what you're doing now with ChipLab, can you give us an overview of ChipLab and the journey so far in terms of addressing the talent gap in semiconductor and forward thinking technology in industries particularly in Africa?

[00:03:48] Sure, so ChipLab is really addressing a key, even described as an existential question or problem. So when you see what's happening today with AI systems that have been released, one thing that is fundamental is the bias.

[00:04:07] And in this case, I'm talking about of course the bias towards Africa and that's not surprising. The AIC Center has trained on data which is whatever has been digitized for the past many decades and then becomes the data.

[00:04:23] And when you zoom into the data, you see that one there's not as much data digitizing and coming from Africa as a continent. And then you also see a representation of the bias that we see in human society, they reflect it in this data.

[00:04:42] So if you fast-forward, there's a common saying that says garbage in, garbage out. From a standpoint, the data that we have in the AI systems that's describing philosophies and things across Africa is garbage at this point.

[00:04:59] So without Africa discovering and creating the fundamental building blocks that would enable the creation of the AI ecosystem in Africa, without the fundamental blocks, the skill sets, without the people in Africa knowing how to fundamentally build AI hardware or to train data on the

[00:05:22] software side, we're really tossed in the world that has been formed. So what CHIFI is trying to do is to tackle that problem on the hardware side. We want to build that capability, that capacity across the continent at scale.

[00:05:37] So our youth on the continent know how to build AI hardware and that become the fundamental building block to create the intelligent systems and the ecosystem in Africa for this generation.

[00:05:52] CHIPLAB we've trained 22 consultants now out of Nigeria and they currently possess the skills to design AI hardware and actually doing design, now being placed into design work right there from the continent.

[00:06:12] So we're seeing the early indication that this is possible.

[00:06:17] So you mentioned the bias that is focused on Africa and now CHIPLAB is driven by some very specific pillars which I'm assuming are used to remove this bias. Could you elaborate on the three pillars that drive CHIPLAB's mission?

[00:06:33] Absolutely. But the three pillars that drive our mission are focal points, strategic alliances, one, two, the impact amplification and three, championing diversity.

[00:06:48] For strategic alliances, when it comes to AI hardware we're talking about in a way the crème de la crème of technology.

[00:06:56] There's an highly advanced technology ecosystem that prior to the world today where we see an explosion of this need was actually elitist.

[00:07:06] An elitist scenario where only the top universities like the MIT's and the USC's and the top universities add access to cutting edge technology research and education.

[00:07:19] And with what we're trying to do, we need strategic alliances on both sides.

[00:07:24] We need alliances which we have with top firms and conductor companies like KDN's design systems and EFABLESS and strategic alliances with universities and ecosystem in the United States and Europe.

[00:07:41] And on the other side of that, strategic alliances with the local governments and local universities and local key players and people that can influence the ecosystem in Africa to create things that are suitable for what we're planting there.

[00:08:02] So that's the strategic alliances for the impact amplifications.

[00:08:06] At ChipLab, we focus on quality and quality directed towards the impact.

[00:08:13] So for example with our clients, we ensure that we're able to accelerate the progress with the work that we're doing.

[00:08:23] We focus on the impact on our work and that in line helps to build the ecosystem.

[00:08:29] Diversity is the third pillar and you can easily see why diversity is very important.

[00:08:36] From a standpoint of creating the ecosystem in Africa, we want to ensure that we're representing the population and we're also providing opportunity for those that deserve in a way or those that may not have the capacity but way to champion diversity.

[00:08:57] So one of our key focal points tied to the UN SDG goals for gender equality, we are aiming at 60% representation of women in the semiconductor ecosystem that we're building.

[00:09:12] It's key for us to be diverse and that's in line with the UN SDG goal of gender equality.

[00:09:21] That's one example.

[00:09:22] So in addition to that being the SDG goal, another fundamental reason for that is we understand that semiconductor microchip design requires strong attention to detail and women pay close attention to detail.

[00:09:41] So in addition to that being just a good thing, it's actually strategic for the ecosystem that we're building to have that kind of representation and equality as you name it.

[00:09:54] And these three pillars actually interlink with each other, they influence each other and that's important to know.

[00:10:02] For example, back to strategic alliances in South Africa where in the strategic alliance and the HIV with oil investments which has every foundational pillars that are in alignment including the championing diversity but also unlocking the continent.

[00:10:24] And these pillars are how we're able to achieve what we're setting out to achieve in the AI hardware space.

[00:10:31] Fantastic.

[00:10:32] So these internal pillars, they are great and much needed but if we look externally what has been the general response when you've told people about your mission?

[00:10:42] Has it been positive or negative or somewhere in between?

[00:10:48] It's been positive actually.

[00:10:52] When we set out to start chip up with the mission, it was clear to us that we had a lot of work to be done and it became clear to us that we couldn't do it on our own.

[00:11:07] There wasn't a business that you could do in isolation just because of the core reason why we're in business as a company which is to grow the ecosystem in Africa and to change the landscape.

[00:11:27] We couldn't do that alone.

[00:11:28] We needed to do that with people.

[00:11:30] So in our discussions with potential partners, with people in the different countries, with the government officials, with the companies already in the ecosystem, we've seen nothing but positivity.

[00:11:46] That's given us the confidence that we will be successful in the mission as we grow and we have more and more partners.

[00:11:56] That's an alignment.

[00:11:58] The mission is now shaping up and getting more and more exciting.

[00:12:02] As you mentioned, the mission is to grow the ecosystem.

[00:12:06] So this is quite a blunt question, but do you believe that Africa possesses the necessary skill set to establish a thriving microchip semiconductor ecosystem?

[00:12:18] Absolutely.

[00:12:20] A thousand percent.

[00:12:22] Africa is trying to be a key player in the semiconductor ecosystem and the semiconductor supply chain.

[00:12:33] The stage is set, the soil is ready for this to happen and all that needs to happen is the planting and then the growing.

[00:12:43] It's easy to see why Africa is ready and possesses the skill set.

[00:12:47] One, Africa has around 1.6 billion people and a big percentage of that are the youth.

[00:12:57] And it's been predicted that decades from now, Africa will have the largest working population.

[00:13:05] A lot of the youth and the people in Africa possess the skills to solve problems.

[00:13:12] Because of the unique challenges that are in Africa, people were already thinking about how to solve problems.

[00:13:19] And so they built this in a way of primal instinct or fundamental capability that makes people in Africa's problem solvers by default.

[00:13:29] Semiconductor design and microchip design is about resilience, problem solving.

[00:13:36] And so this naturally skills that our youth possess.

[00:13:40] Now the other thing I wanted to say about that is when you look to the diaspora from Africa, we have many, many people from the continent that are leaders in the areas.

[00:13:52] And these are extremely difficult areas, extremely difficult careers, extremely technical.

[00:13:59] And you see a lot of Africans that are in permanent positions or leading because of this capacity.

[00:14:08] So we believe that there are people like that within the continent ready to make a difference, ready to change the world.

[00:14:19] But I've not been given the opportunity, but they actually possess the fundamental qualities for this.

[00:14:25] And that's what we're working to unlock with our chip and academy and with our partnerships and relationships with the local universities and the government.

[00:14:38] Thank you for that, Ola.

[00:14:40] So we know these semiconductor microchip spaces extremely vast and complex.

[00:14:46] So at what part of the supply chain or manufacturing process do you believe African talent can operate in?

[00:14:55] African talent can operate in majority of the supply chain.

[00:15:04] So when you build in or design a chip, you typically have two fundamental models of business models.

[00:15:12] You have what we call the Fabless and then you have the fab.

[00:15:16] So the fabless you think companies like NVIDIA and the Broadcom, these companies use software for hardware.

[00:15:27] We use the software tools to design the fundamental architecture for the chips, the AI chips.

[00:15:34] And then you have the fabs.

[00:15:35] These are the TSMCs, the Global Foundries, Samsung Foundries, Intel Foundries.

[00:15:40] And these are the manufacturers of the chip.

[00:15:43] The city is where they think about it is you add the actual content or the actual architecture and then you add the printer, a very expensive printer.

[00:15:55] So in Africa, we have the raw materials in Africa that would play into the fab supply chain.

[00:16:04] And with the right partners, Africa will be a key player in manufacturing with the right investments on both sides.

[00:16:13] Africa can actually become a dominant player.

[00:16:17] And on the other side of things, on the fabless side, the fabless model, one thing the Konec ecosystem has is a severe, severe talent shortage.

[00:16:26] And the way the talent shortage is solved, one of the ways is through design services.

[00:16:34] So you think about a software model where you have software developers that are working out of country and looking at the scenario in the supply chain,

[00:16:43] in the front end supply chain for semiconductors where you have an army of AI hardware developers working out of countries across Africa,

[00:16:53] providing that value and capacity to the world and helping to bridge that talent shortage in the entire supply chain.

[00:17:00] Now, the next stage of that is that translates to internal capability within the continent that is developed from real work, real job experiences.

[00:17:12] And, you know, is that internal capacity that becomes the building block for creating this intelligence systems, this solution that's a unique to Africa.

[00:17:24] It becomes the building blocks for eliminating the bias that we currently see in the AI ecosystem that is forming.

[00:17:33] So not just that Africa possesses the capacity to play in virtually every aspect of the central supply chain.

[00:17:42] I think Africa needs to actually step in and take charge and play in all these areas for real reasons that have talked to like the ensuring that we build an AI future that is conducive for the continent,

[00:18:00] that we give priority to the continent in the ecosystem that we're building.

[00:18:06] So you did mention that the global semiconductor space has a talent shortage.

[00:18:12] Do you have plans to leverage the shortage in terms of giving African talent access to contribute to global technology needs?

[00:18:23] Absolutely.

[00:18:25] When you look at the world and you look at Africa's place in the world, it's virtually impossible to think of a planet that is dominated fundamentally by AI hardware and this intelligence systems.

[00:18:41] But yet an entire continent is not playing a part.

[00:18:45] A continent has bigger African countries not plugging into the ecosystem.

[00:18:49] So we believe that Africa and African talent is going to play significant role in alleviating this talent shortage.

[00:19:00] And because semiconductor technology is so dynamic, AI hardware technology is constantly changing.

[00:19:09] What is caught in edge today is likely obsolete in a year.

[00:19:15] And we've seen new and new entrants into this space that are disrupting the status quo.

[00:19:22] So we're seeing innovation at an unprecedented level.

[00:19:26] Now, in order to establish that in Africa, we created systems that enable the education in AI hardware to be distributed at scale across the continent and to be constantly refreshed.

[00:19:46] So with partnerships with the industry giants like Keras Advanced Systems, we're able to tap into the latest technology and that becomes part of our education ecosystem.

[00:20:00] And so you think about a scenario where the talent coming out of the academics and the ecosystem that we're building with our partners in Africa are always scared of the art

[00:20:11] and easily the global supply chain, the global ecosystem will take a lot of that and start to see Africa as a key supplier of talent.

[00:20:21] Just like India is, Africa becomes a key supplier of talent in AI hardware space and that's what we're going after.

[00:20:29] Thank you for that Ola.

[00:20:31] Ola, I guess the approach of training talent requires a lot of one-to-one interaction and capacity.

[00:20:39] So how scalable is this approach to nurturing a new generation of skilled microchip, semiconductor designers in Africa?

[00:20:49] So training in Africa in any field or works this way.

[00:20:55] So I have a lot of people come to me and ask how do you ensure that people are actually taking your course is for something to scale, people have to want it.

[00:21:05] When you look at what goes viral, there is something fundamental about something that goes viral where people want to see it or it makes people excited.

[00:21:16] And when you think about AI hardware, extremely complicated.

[00:21:20] One, two, it's expensive, expensive education and the market doesn't really exist on the continent.

[00:21:28] So we're faced with a significant challenge but we thought about this for some time and we identified something rather simple,

[00:21:38] which is for an ecosystem to grow, like semiconductor, in Africa for it to grow.

[00:21:45] All you need is the training and then you need the jobs and the jobs is very, very critical because when people go into the training program,

[00:21:57] they do it and at the tail end of that if you just send them into the market and they're not able to find jobs,

[00:22:03] what happens is that they tell their brothers, they tell their sisters, they'll tell their friends.

[00:22:08] They'll say hey, don't take that course, it's expensive and you're not going to get a job.

[00:22:13] Now if you put that around, someone goes to do a training program at the tail end of that, they have a job,

[00:22:20] not only that, it's an eye-paying job, they live a fantastic life.

[00:22:26] And in Africa when a life is changed, you're not just changing that life.

[00:22:31] You're changing the life of family, you're changing the life of the extended family and you're changing the life of generations.

[00:22:38] So when things like that are happening in the numbers, then people go and tell their friends,

[00:22:43] you have to take that course, you have to leave your current job and go into AI hardware and you have to take that specific course.

[00:22:50] And so if you take that, how you magnify it, that's all these old thin scales.

[00:22:55] And so yes, the system we've created is such as that, ChipLab actually is a semiconductor company

[00:23:03] where the people coming out of ChipLab Academy become ChipLab consultants.

[00:23:08] And as ChipLab consultants they work as AI hardware specialists doing design work for global clients

[00:23:16] and also design work for the local economy.

[00:23:20] And on the training side with our partners we ensure the quality of the training.

[00:23:25] So we put a stamp of approval, we put the quality, we put the credibility on the training

[00:23:30] and we also ensure that it's constantly refreshed based on what is cutting edge in the semiconductor industry.

[00:23:37] And we do that with partners.

[00:23:39] So we have training partners in Nigeria, we're working with old school

[00:23:43] and we also partnered with Lone Deck and we have partnerships with local universities,

[00:23:50] other female law universities, University of Lagos and that leads to continuous growth.

[00:23:55] And so in light on the training infrastructure we can ensure that we're focusing on ensuring that jobs are being created within the ecosystem.

[00:24:09] The jobs have been created for the people coming out of the ChipLab Academy and that's how we scale.

[00:24:15] Thank you for that.

[00:24:17] We've talked extensively about the training infrastructure, every look at the physical infrastructure

[00:24:23] which will play a huge role in the success of the mission.

[00:24:28] What strategies have you had to put in place to overcome some of the common infrastructure challenges that we know exist on the continent?

[00:24:40] So infrastructure is a big mountain to climb and the infrastructure for semiconductors is incredibly expensive.

[00:24:50] And on the continent we have partners that are also looking on how to solve the problem of infrastructure in the different geographies that they're in.

[00:25:02] The only way to solve the infrastructure problem is through collaboration.

[00:25:06] On one side you need policy and you need the local government to be fully on board

[00:25:14] and then on the other side you need the global partners.

[00:25:18] Now the global partners provide the demand and become co-investors in that semiconductor infrastructure.

[00:25:27] Locally, in order to create the jobs, when you have a manufacturing plant situated in the country in Africa,

[00:25:35] that brings many, many jobs to the local ecosystem.

[00:25:39] And so to create the jobs the local government become key partners.

[00:25:44] So the way we are elevating this, the Roy's Bay exactly doing that,

[00:25:48] when we work in a country in Africa we're working closely with the government.

[00:25:54] In Nigeria we're working with oil state governments on establishing the state to be a semiconductor hub

[00:26:03] and we're looking to walk with a number of other states.

[00:26:07] In South Africa we tell JV with oil investments.

[00:26:12] We are working with the South African government also on establishing the country to become a key semiconductor hub

[00:26:22] and on the other side we have partnerships with Kaden Design Systems,

[00:26:26] which Kaden Design Systems is a key player that develops the state-of-the-art tools

[00:26:33] that has been used across the entire semiconductor ecosystem.

[00:26:38] And we also have a partnership with eFabless.

[00:26:41] eFabless has developed an ecosystem to build low-cost chips at affordable rates,

[00:26:50] which we think that would be a key player in the ecosystem we're building in Africa.

[00:26:54] So it's all about relationships and key relationships with very influential bodies,

[00:27:00] very influential companies and that's how we solve the infrastructure problem in Africa.

[00:27:07] Thank you for that Ola.

[00:27:09] So you've discussed these strategic partnerships with governments, universities and different private sector bodies.

[00:27:17] So maybe if you can look at different types of partnerships in terms of how do you collaborate

[00:27:22] with say the local research institutions and universities to support specifically the scientific innovation

[00:27:32] and capacity building in Africa.

[00:27:35] Yes, so local university partnership is absolutely critical

[00:27:41] and in Africa we have many universities, both public and private universities

[00:27:48] and we have good work that's happening in these universities.

[00:27:53] So what we're doing with chip lab is that we identify which universities we think have the right ecosystem

[00:28:02] to support semiconductor industry, for example, we partnered with Upper Femahoe University in Nigeria

[00:28:10] and the University of Lagos.

[00:28:13] And part of that partnership is that we embed within the university as a chip lab academy

[00:28:21] and we work with the university to funnel the final year students in electrical electronics,

[00:28:28] computer engineering and computer science and sometimes physics and math

[00:28:33] and we have this final year students go for the chip lab academy.

[00:28:39] So the extension of that is the universities also have PhD students that are doing research.

[00:28:47] And so as we embed the state of the art capability to the universities,

[00:28:52] then we'll start working with the PhD students on joint research.

[00:28:56] Now you can see how this is beginning to build the local ecosystem.

[00:29:01] Now the final part of that is and this is critical.

[00:29:04] The work that's been done within the universities in Africa cannot be done in the silo.

[00:29:11] The world needs to know that the work is being done and when I say the world needs to know,

[00:29:16] I mean that there needs to be a branching out of the work that connects to the global supply chain

[00:29:24] from an education standpoint.

[00:29:26] So what we're looking to do is to establish those same relationships with multiple universities across the globe

[00:29:36] and create a chip lab network of universities.

[00:29:40] Now what that does is that it allows for cross pollination.

[00:29:45] Now we will facilitate core research between Africa and the United States.

[00:29:52] We will facilitate information sharing and we will facilitate student exchange program again to cross pollinate.

[00:30:02] And what that essentially does is that the ecosystem in Africa not just is being built,

[00:30:10] but it's built alongside the global supply chain and that feeds into the credibility.

[00:30:16] In semiconductors, AI hardware, credibility is absolutely important.

[00:30:22] Very much so. You talked about the credibility.

[00:30:27] How do you go about addressing the critical issue of trust in the microchip system?

[00:30:34] Particularly in the context of building trust in African made microchips?

[00:30:40] Yes, credibility trust is so, so important in this space.

[00:30:45] And when you think about why, why this is the case and I like to make comparison with software.

[00:30:53] When you field an application or software, everyone knows that there's probably some bugs and their patches

[00:31:02] and you know, you release a new model, you release a new patch or fix and that's okay.

[00:31:09] Now, if you picked up your iPhone and the iPhone didn't work or you had your smart watch and it was going on and off repeatedly because of the power issue in the circuits.

[00:31:23] You can easily see how that becomes terminal for that brand.

[00:31:27] So semiconductor microchips have to work. They have to work.

[00:31:33] In fact, the more you go down the pipeline in the design of a chip, the more expensive it takes to fix an issue.

[00:31:41] So as a result of that, the trust and the credibility is absolutely important.

[00:31:47] So the way we resolved that when we thought about it is we said one, we need to solve two kinds of credibility.

[00:31:58] One is as we build the correlation within the continent as we build the ecosystem.

[00:32:06] You know, the continent is to see chip lab as a credible supplier of this information.

[00:32:12] And on the flip side, as we grow our relationships with the semiconductor primes, these are multi billion dollar companies.

[00:32:21] They also need to see the credibility that chip lab understands the continent.

[00:32:27] So on one side, we're able to establish the key partnerships within the continent and tell the story of the opportunity and the value that comes in upscaling across the continent.

[00:32:44] And we secured key credible partnerships globally.

[00:32:49] So with our partnership with Kedans design systems and eFabless, we're able to pull into that credibility because we're not just providing training that is in a way off the internet.

[00:33:04] We're providing the state of the art right here from the industry.

[00:33:08] You can get the better quality of AI hardware training than what we are providing with the ecosystem we're building.

[00:33:16] We solve that credibility on that side.

[00:33:19] And then on the other side with global primes, our strong ties and bonds and relationships with the local governments in Africa.

[00:33:30] That's what gives us that credibility.

[00:33:32] The fact that we are discussing with the local governments, we're discussing with the state governors, we're discussing with the government.

[00:33:42] We're not just going and scratching the surface.

[00:33:45] We're doing the artwork.

[00:33:47] We're suffering to create this capability again, because our goal is not to create a company.

[00:33:56] Our goal is to grow the foundation, is to create the building blocks, is to give the continent what it needs to essentially not be left behind in this AI hardware transformation that we're currently going through.

[00:34:16] Which, by the way, it's been said that this current AI hardware transformation is bigger than any transformation that has ever been experienced on the planet.

[00:34:28] It's bigger than the Gold Rush.

[00:34:30] It's bigger than Industrial Revolution.

[00:34:32] It's bigger than the Dotcom era.

[00:34:35] Every single device as we build the wall does wall is shipping.

[00:34:39] Everything will have an AI chip in it.

[00:34:41] Yes, very true.

[00:34:43] We've covered chip lab, mission partnerships and the challenges that you've addressed so far.

[00:34:50] And it's clear you've made a lot of inroads and impact.

[00:34:54] So maybe we can touch on in terms of the potential impact of your business model on the long term sustainability and growth of the AI microchip industry in Africa.

[00:35:07] What do you believe that is?

[00:35:09] So when I think about the impact of the work we're doing, I think about it in multiple orders.

[00:35:14] The first order I think is the immediate impact which is Africa becoming a key player, a key part of the semiconductor supply chain on the front end design side, which is the software for hardware, but also on the fabrication side.

[00:35:30] That's the first order.

[00:35:32] And part of that first order is we see the first generation of lives that have been changed.

[00:35:38] The people coming out of the chip lab academy put on a good salary that lifts them out of poverty.

[00:35:47] And that aligns again with the UN SDG goal or SDG 1 for no poverty.

[00:35:57] Now the second order is as you build the capacity as more and more people know how to design these chips.

[00:36:07] As we start building unique tailored solutions for African problems like smart systems that are built to help with agriculture, smart systems for healthcare, smart systems for key Africa markets like maybe the oil industry.

[00:36:26] As we build this capacity, what you start seeing is the second order where people now start starting their own businesses in this space.

[00:36:37] So you would see new businesses start to emerge and these are businesses that are tailored to solve unique African problems.

[00:36:46] And so you start to see an ecosystem begin to form.

[00:36:49] On the other side of that, we believe that more and more generations will be lifted out of poverty.

[00:36:57] More and more lives will be changed and we'll see this at scale across the continent with the work that we're doing.

[00:37:04] Now the last part to that is as we build the highest level of capacity as we build a generation of people on the continent that know how to design this semiconductor as the AI microchips.

[00:37:19] The global community would take notice and we would see foreign direct investments going into the African countries and going to the clusters that we're creating.

[00:37:30] We believe that the semiconductor primes would start looking to take advantage of the talent that's been coming out of Africa.

[00:37:38] And we'll start to see more and more investments.

[00:37:44] So overall, I think the impact that we see across the continent as we adopt an Africa first mentality when it comes to the AI hardware as we build those building blocks that enables the decision making at a fundamental level.

[00:38:01] That gives us control of our own destiny on the continent.

[00:38:06] I think we'll start to see more and more of this kind of impact in the next few years.

[00:38:11] To make impact, you need an enabling environment.

[00:38:15] So how have you navigated the sometimes complex regulatory framework that is unique to certain African countries while also delivering on your mission?

[00:38:27] So in order for the ecosystem to build, we need to carry the local ecosystem, the government along with it and in each georephryean.

[00:38:38] And this is a long and tedious process, but this is so fundamental to what we're doing that we cannot bypass it.

[00:38:48] So some of what we're doing is we're engaging in conversations and it starts by informing.

[00:38:55] Because what you find out is that because of the absence of the ecosystem, people may not know.

[00:39:03] And people usually don't know maybe what semiconductors are, what they actually do.

[00:39:09] People may not know that they actually have hundreds of semiconductors with them as they're saying they don't know what semiconductors are.

[00:39:18] So we engage in conversations and information and informative discussions with the government.

[00:39:26] And once we work to influence the policy.

[00:39:30] One thing we're looking at when the early stages are in Nigeria, you know, we're now looking at that with our partners there is how do we create a national strategy, a national policy like a Nigerian chips act as you name it.

[00:39:46] That creates the policies that enables the semiconductor ecosystem within Africa to fry.

[00:39:53] And we're working with partners to create this kind of policy.

[00:39:59] And we hope to work with the governments in every country we're in in Africa to create similar policies.

[00:40:07] And like I said, this is challenging as you know, you're doing anything in Africa is difficult let alone influencing policy, but we will do it and we will be successful.

[00:40:18] I believe so. As you mentioned, you're engaging in conversation, engaging in conversation drives change and progress progress obviously will lead to trends.

[00:40:29] So in your opinion, are there any exciting or promising trends that you're currently seeing or emerging from the microchips semiconductor space in Africa?

[00:40:41] So in Africa, I think the exciting trend is what we're seeing in the mission.

[00:40:48] So what are we seeing? We're seeing a lot of positivity, a lot of adoption of the mission.

[00:40:56] And that's exciting because it means that we're on to something.

[00:41:02] Africa needs to be a key player in AI hardware for the many reasons we've discussed.

[00:41:10] When we look globally as what's happening, when you say the name NVIDIA to anyone, you feel like, oh yeah, we know NVIDIA.

[00:41:20] And many years before you mentioned NVIDIA, who was it? What is that? Like what is NVIDIA?

[00:41:26] So the AI hardware space is going through an insane amount of transformation.

[00:41:33] In Africa, without partnership with EFABless, we're on the cost of unlocking a new set of solutions, AI hardware solutions that can be created at cost.

[00:41:46] And that would fit the unique needs in Africa.

[00:41:51] So that's incredibly exciting. We're looking to see what we would be able to unlock with that partnership with EFABless.

[00:41:59] But I think as we move on with the mission in Africa, we'll start to see more and more interest in applications of AI hardware that are unique to the continent.

[00:42:08] And I believe that as we build these solutions that are unique to the continent, we will find applications outside the continent.

[00:42:15] And so we would see the Africa semiconductor spirit start to spread even outside the continent.

[00:42:22] So there are things that keep me up at night, keep us up at chip lab.

[00:42:29] We're looking forward to the impact and all the exciting things that will happen.

[00:42:33] Fantastic. Thank you for sharing that.

[00:42:35] So it's obvious that we're still at a nascent phase.

[00:42:39] So if we look past trends and look at the future, future of Africa, where do you see Africa's microchip and semiconductor space in the next five years?

[00:42:50] Africa is microchip and semiconductor space.

[00:42:54] In the next five years will be a vibrant and in the next five years, chip lab will be in at least 10 countries in Africa,

[00:43:07] where we will have a mix different flavors of design and the manufacturing aspects.

[00:43:15] And with our partners on the continent, we'll see more and more peripheral of this technology.

[00:43:21] In five years, we'll see new entrants into the markets, we'll see global semiconductor companies start to take shape and take some kind of more and more form

[00:43:31] and expand that presence on the continent.

[00:43:34] And we would actually see the proliferation of a new market, the Africa IoT AI hardware specific market built in Africa, made in Africa, made by Africa tailored for Africa.

[00:43:50] And we'll see more and more of that.

[00:43:54] We would see independence in semiconductors.

[00:43:57] Nations in Africa will be able to design the intelligence systems and would not worry about the security because it will be built there in the country by the talent in the country.

[00:44:11] And this wouldn't be subpar systems.

[00:44:16] This would be intelligent systems that have the same level as what you can find anywhere on the planet, or even at a higher level in some cases.

[00:44:25] And we would begin to see more and more, I think, joy and more and more pride in the continent.

[00:44:35] I think when it comes to the semiconductor, we'll see more and more of the Africa diaspora now taking shape and taking hold and creating fantastic solutions within the continent.

[00:44:48] Fantastic.

[00:44:49] I look forward to seeing that take shape and become a reality.

[00:44:52] So looking ahead, where do you see yourself and chip lab in five years?

[00:44:56] What role will you be playing in shaping the future of the microchip and semiconductor space on the continent?

[00:45:04] In five years with chip lab, I think we would be playing the role of maybe of an integrator in a way in that being one of the forerunners in growing the semiconductor ecosystem.

[00:45:22] We would now be playing that role in transferring a lot of that knowledge to the market to the new entrance.

[00:45:31] So we would have more and more partnerships, more and more relationships with similar minded people and organizations and governments.

[00:45:40] And we'll continue to make that impact and grow the footprint of the semiconductor ecosystem.

[00:45:47] So we will chip lab will serve as a gateway for the world.

[00:45:52] And when it comes to the AI hardware space in Africa, we will influence policies on the continent and policies globally to bring Africa to the center of semiconductors.

[00:46:07] And be part of what we do with chip lab also as aspects in other geographies like the US.

[00:46:16] And so we would start to create more and more synergies between the global work that's been done in semiconductors.

[00:46:25] And in five years, the role of chip lab would shift slightly from not creating the ecosystem because at that point the ecosystem already exists to nurturing,

[00:46:37] nurturing, growing, scaling and in a way continuing to feed that ecosystem to ensure that we continue to see growth.

[00:46:48] And chip lab be at the center of the upskilling in AI hardware and continue to ensure that the local population is at the forefront of the technology.

[00:47:00] Fantastic, fantastic. Thank you for that great vision and ambition. What I love to hear.

[00:47:08] As people, we often have quotes mantras African Proverbs or affirmations that keep us going when times are challenging or when times are good. Do you have one that you can share with us today?

[00:47:20] Okay, so what we do with chip lab is in a way crazy when you think about it. But it is working and a lot of times as a co-founder as an entrepreneur,

[00:47:32] you know, you face these challenges of, you know, how do you keep moving on? And for me, I like to spend time traveling and I enjoy seeing the ocean.

[00:47:46] And I think the ocean is sitting and when you look at the ocean and how massive it is, and if you scale down into it, it's essentially drops of water.

[00:47:57] And there's a saying that says little drops of water would make a mighty ocean.

[00:48:03] And with the massive, massive vision and impact that we're setting to achieve with chip lab, even think about it as an ocean. It's easily overwhelming.

[00:48:14] But when you think about it as little drops of water, it becomes exciting. There's nothing that is scary about little drops of water.

[00:48:23] It's just droplets of water. And so that's the way we're thinking about this every day we make little drops of water every single day.

[00:48:32] And that will create the mighty ocean that we will see in Africa, which is the semiconductor vibrant semiconductor hardware industry that will form from the little drops of water.

[00:48:45] Beautiful, beautiful. Thank you for sharing that.

[00:48:48] So we've come to the close of today's conversation. Very insightful, informative and something that is needed on the continent.

[00:48:56] So I'm looking forward to seeing it grow and become a reality and also the impact that it will create on the continent in more than one way.

[00:49:07] So Ola, thank you for joining us on the podcast today. Thank you, Tessa.

[00:49:11] As we wrap up, I was wondering, do you have any closing remarks? Final course to action for people who are interested in the work that you're doing.

[00:49:20] Or just generally interested in the semiconductor microchip space in Africa?

[00:49:26] Well, thank you, Tessa, for this opportunity. This has been fun. It's been exciting.

[00:49:32] I think we're in a moment in time like no other. And my final remarks is targeted to our amazing African diaspora population.

[00:49:47] I think the African continent needs our diaspora and the fact that there is this massive, massive threat to the continent in a way which the threat is a threat of inaction.

[00:50:02] If we just sit on our laurels and we continue to do things the way we're doing it, we continue to make fantastic progress in our individual careers, we take care of our families.

[00:50:13] And we don't look back at the continent. We will have ourselves to blame.

[00:50:20] Because as an African diaspora, you would go into rooms where AI would make the decisions and AI would make the decisions against the African diaspora because of the bias.

[00:50:32] If we don't take the step to work collectively to build this ecosystem in Africa that eliminates that bias.

[00:50:42] So my hope is that as African diaspora, every single one of us would band together. We create a collective action to grow the continent.

[00:50:53] And there's no time that this is needed more than now. In a way, that is my hope. That is my prayer. And that is my call that we all suffer together.

[00:51:04] We do the work on the continent to grow the continent, to position the continent to be a key player, not just in semiconductors but in many other industries that have been transformed and that have been disrupted by this AI technology.

[00:51:23] I agree and couldn't have said it any better. It's been a great conversation as I said before. Thank you for your time Ola and you've definitely gave me an education today.

[00:51:34] So it's been a brilliant conversation. Thanks again and looking forward to many more updates and seeing the progress of ChipLab in the future.

[00:51:43] Yes, yes, yes. Thank you.

[00:51:46] Thank you to everyone who has listened and stayed tuned to the podcast. If you've enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share or tell a friend about it.

[00:51:55] You can also rate reviewers in Apple Podcast or wherever you download your podcast. Thank you and see you next week for the Unlocking Africa podcast.