A Strategic Framework for AI Microchip Design Capacity Building in Africa

Ola Fadiran, Founder & CEO of ChipMango, facilitated an insightful session on how Africa can position itself as a global player in the AI microchip design value chain.

Journey From Corporate to Entrepreneurship

Ola Fadiran, founder and CEO of Chipmango, shared his background in microchip design and his journey from Nigeria to the US for education. He discussed his career at Intel and Boeing, where he worked on server applications and spacecraft/satellite designs respectively. Ola emphasized the importance of gut feelings in decision-making and explained how his inquisitive nature led him to transition from corporate life to entrepreneurship. He briefly mentioned his first startup venture, which was a game design project inspired by his passion for video games.

Entrepreneurial Journey in Workforce Development

Ola discussed his entrepreneurial journey, including the failures of his first two startups: a gaming platform and a food delivery service. He then explained his transition to focusing on workforce development in the semiconductor industry, founding Chip Lab and later ChipMango. Ola highlighted the challenges of building trust in the ecosystem for African talent and the need to present workforce development as a business solution rather than charity.

Strategic Framework for African Chips

Ola discussed the challenges and strategic framework needed for developing a microchip design ecosystem in Africa, emphasizing the critical role of trust in building such a system. He highlighted that while anyone can learn to design chips, the challenge lies in gaining the trust of stakeholders globally, as trust is essential for the acceptance and success of African-designed chips. Ola also explained the importance of clear vision, stakeholder alignment, measurable goals, and realistic timelines in creating a strategic framework. He shared how ChipMango is addressing these challenges by building a trusted platform for chip design education, which is being implemented in both Africa and the US, with plans to expand and engage more stakeholders globally.

from https://chipmango.com

Nigeria's AI and Microchip Framework

Ola presented Nigeria's microchip and AI framework, highlighting both the good and the challenges. The good includes strong government support, ambitious training targets, industry collaborations, and early success with clients in the US. However, funding remains a significant challenge, and building trust with international clients requires careful, long-term engagement. Ola also mentioned that his students are already designing for live clients in the US and other countries.

Nigerian Microchip Ecosystem Development

The group discussed challenges and opportunities in developing a local microchip design and manufacturing ecosystem in Nigeria. Oluwatobi suggested integrating feedback loops for developers to prototype chips locally without requiring billion-dollar investments, emphasizing the need for practical applications to engage engineers. Ola highlighted the importance of partnerships with local and international companies, such as NXP and Intel, to distribute hardware and facilitate training. Olumuyiwa advised focusing on building a deep ecosystem first, including software aspects like simulators, before considering manufacturing, and stressed the importance of education in developing a sustainable technology ecosystem. The group agreed on the need to collaborate with government research institutions and private companies to advance the initiative.

Building Trust in African Chips

The discussion focused on trust challenges in the African microchip design ecosystem, where Ola explained that trust is crucial for securing initial contracts but is difficult to establish due to limited ecosystem representation in Africa compared to India and China. The conversation highlighted that while Nigeria has government support, the market is dominated by Chinese competitors, making it challenging for local companies to compete on cost. Emeka suggested convening multiple African countries to discuss practical approaches to building chip ecosystems, and Ola agreed this would be valuable, noting that while ChipMango is a for-profit company, broader collaboration across African nations would be necessary for sustainable ecosystem development.

Building Africa's Microchip Ecosystem

Ola discussed the challenges and strategies for building a microchip design ecosystem in Africa, emphasizing the importance of focusing on local problems and leveraging existing technology to create localized solutions. He suggested capturing a market with simple, localized products before advancing to more complex innovations like chip design. Ola highlighted the difficulties in securing funding, building an ecosystem, and addressing risks such as political transitions and brain drain. He also touched on the need to engage youth and promote gender inclusion in the hardware sector, acknowledging its less glamorous reputation compared to software and AI.

Empowering Africa's Tech Diaspora

Ola discussed the importance of engaging the diaspora in Africa's tech ecosystem, highlighting the need for more international partnerships to address a funding gap for training people. He emphasized the significance of building trust in the ecosystem by demonstrating capacity to train large numbers of talent. Ola also addressed the gender inclusivity challenge in hardware and microchip design education, mentioning ongoing efforts to partner with organizations focused on empowering women in tech. The discussion included updates on the rollout of Chipmango as well as plans for an in-person deep tech conference in Nigeria early next year.

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