IBM Debuts Watson Supercomputer In Africa

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IBM began rolling out its Watson supercomputer system across Africa, saying it would help to address continental development obstacles as diverse as medical diagnoses, economic data collection and e-commerce research.

The world’s biggest technology service provider said “Project Lucy” would take 10 years and cost $100 million. The undertaking was named after the earliest known human ancestor fossil, which was found in east Africa.

“I believe it will spur a whole era of innovation for entrepreneurs here,” IBM Chief Executive Ginni Rometty told delegates at a conference.

“Data … needs to be refined. It will determine undisputed winners and losers across every industry,” she said.

As an example, Rometty cited how Morocco had used sophisticated data mining for “smart agriculture” to improve how crops are grown by predicting weather, demand and disease outbreaks.

The Watson system uses artificial intelligence that can quickly analyze huge amounts of data and understand human language well enough to hold sophisticated conversations. It beat humans on the TV quiz show “Jeopardy” in 2011.

Written by Tim Cocks/Read more at Reuters