A Sustainability Model for Continental Hybridization of High Performance Computing (HPC) in Africa

Abstract

The potential for High-performance computing (HPC) opportunities in the areas of health, environment, energy, climate change, business and livelihood are immense in Africa. However, the lack of sufficient HPC facilities and capacity skills deficiencies continue to curtail its growth. This paper maps the status of HPC facilities in Africa. Thereafter based on a review of various business and funding models, it suggests a hybridization model as a way for building sustainable HPC infrastructures across the continent to provide support for teaching and learning, research and education. The main contribution of this paper is the anchoring of hybridization as a sustainable business model for improving the access and establishment of HPC infrastructure in Africa.