IDC and Schneider Electric Roundtable
Beyond the Hype: Understanding Africa's AI Readiness Through the Lens of Enterprise Infrastructure
Sponsored by
Overview
Everyone is talking about AI, but what does it actually take to make AI work in a real business environment?
According to IDC, 68% of South African organizations now have concrete AI use cases running across multiple departments. Many are learning that success depends on the right foundations: data, compute capacity, resilient infrastructure, and operational readiness. This roundtable moves past the buzzwords to look at what enterprises actually face as they prepare for an AI-powered future.
Participants will share where they stand in their AI journey, the infrastructure challenges they’ve run into, and the investments they see as most important over the next few years. The goal is an honest read on Africa’s readiness for AI, and a clear view of the opportunities and gaps that will shape adoption at scale.
Agenda
IDC and Schneider Electric Roundtable
One Day Event
Registration & Networking
Welcome Address
IDC keynote: Africa’s AI Infrastructure Reality Check
This session provides a candid assessment of Africa’s readiness to support large-scale AI adoption. We will examine the current state of digital infrastructure—including datacenter capacity, connectivity, and power reliability—while addressing key challenges such as limited sovereign cloud options, skills shortages, and regulatory hurdles. The discussion will also highlight emerging opportunities, regional innovation hubs, and strategies for bridging infrastructure gaps to unlock the continent’s AI potential.
Jonathan Tullett
Associate Research Director, IDC
Schneider Electric Presentation: Building the Power Foundation for AI-Ready Data Centers
This session explores how the exponential growth of AI workloads is transforming datacenter power and cooling requirements. We will examine the shift to high-density rack architectures, the adoption of advanced liquid cooling, and the move toward modular, scalable power blocks to support rapid AI infrastructure expansion. The discussion will highlight the role of software-defined management and real-time energy optimization in ensuring operational efficiency, resilience, and sustainability. Attendees will gain insights into best practices for designing and operating datacenters that are ready to meet the demands of next-generation AI applications.
Steve Santini
Secure Power & Data Centers Vice President, Sub‑Saharan Africa, Schneider Electric
Open Discussion: The CIO’s Infrastructure Dilemma, where South African enterprises are placing their Next Bet
Join this open discussion to explore the infrastructure dilemmas facing South African CIOs as they weigh cloud, on-premises, and hybrid strategies in a rapidly evolving landscape. Participants will share experiences and debate how to balance cost, resilience, and innovation—considering hyperscale cloud, local datacenters, and edge deployments. The session invites candid dialogue on investment patterns, risk management, and the CIO’s evolving role in shaping infrastructure decisions for digital transformation and competitive advantage.
Jonathan Tullett
Associate Research Director, IDC
Steve Santini
Secure Power & Data Centers Vice President, Sub‑Saharan Africa, Schneider Electric
Summary and Close
Networking Lunch
Speakers
Jonathan Tullett
Associate Research Director
IDC
Read bio
Jonathan Tullett
Jonathan Tullett is Associate Research Director for IT Services across Sub-Saharan Africa. His specialist areas include IT services, outsourcing, cloud computing, information security, and digital transformation.
Originally from the U.K. and currently based in Johannesburg, Jonathan has spent two decades working in technology and media across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. In addition to consulting and research, he has worked in cybersecurity and application development.
Jonathan leads research and consulting projects across Sub-Saharan Africa as well as engagements in Europe and the Middle East, helping customers navigate emerging digital business opportunities, refine competitive go-to-market strategies, and gain insights into regional market performance.
Jonathan combines a deep understanding of both business and technology to deliver actionable insights for clients, who include global hyperscale cloud providers, regional telecom operators, local and global systems integrators, and managed service providers, as well as end-user organizations including financial services and government.
Event Sessions
One Day Event 9:45 am
Open Discussion: The CIO’s Infrastructure Dilemma, where South African enterprises are placing their Next Bet
Join this open discussion to explore the infrastructure dilemmas facing South African CIOs as they weigh cloud, on-premises, and hybrid strategies in a rapidly evolving landscape. Participants will share experiences and debate how to balance cost, resilience, and innovation—considering hyperscale cloud, local datacenters, and edge deployments. The session invites candid dialogue on investment patterns, risk management, and the CIO’s evolving role in shaping infrastructure decisions for digital transformation and competitive advantage.
One Day Event 9:05 am
IDC keynote: Africa’s AI Infrastructure Reality Check
This session provides a candid assessment of Africa’s readiness to support large-scale AI adoption. We will examine the current state of digital infrastructure—including datacenter capacity, connectivity, and power reliability—while addressing key challenges such as limited sovereign cloud options, skills shortages, and regulatory hurdles. The discussion will also highlight emerging opportunities, regional innovation hubs, and strategies for bridging infrastructure gaps to unlock the continent’s AI potential.
Steve Santini
Secure Power & Data Centers Vice President, Sub‑Saharan Africa
Schneider Electric
Read bio
Steve Santini
Event Sessions
One Day Event 9:45 am
Open Discussion: The CIO’s Infrastructure Dilemma, where South African enterprises are placing their Next Bet
Join this open discussion to explore the infrastructure dilemmas facing South African CIOs as they weigh cloud, on-premises, and hybrid strategies in a rapidly evolving landscape. Participants will share experiences and debate how to balance cost, resilience, and innovation—considering hyperscale cloud, local datacenters, and edge deployments. The session invites candid dialogue on investment patterns, risk management, and the CIO’s evolving role in shaping infrastructure decisions for digital transformation and competitive advantage.
One Day Event 9:25 am
Schneider Electric Presentation: Building the Power Foundation for AI-Ready Data Centers
This session explores how the exponential growth of AI workloads is transforming datacenter power and cooling requirements. We will examine the shift to high-density rack architectures, the adoption of advanced liquid cooling, and the move toward modular, scalable power blocks to support rapid AI infrastructure expansion. The discussion will highlight the role of software-defined management and real-time energy optimization in ensuring operational efficiency, resilience, and sustainability. Attendees will gain insights into best practices for designing and operating datacenters that are ready to meet the demands of next-generation AI applications.
Partners
Schneider Electric
Schneider Electric is a global energy technology leader, driving efficiency and sustainability by electrifying, automating, and digitalizing industries, businesses, and homes. Its technologies enable buildings, data centers, factories, infrastructure, and grids to operate as open, interconnected ecosystems, enhancing performance, resilience, and sustainability. The portfolio includes intelligent devices, software-defined architectures, AI-powered systems, digital services, and expert advisory.