African cities are exploring artificial intelligence systems to improve traffic management, monitor infrastructure and expand public services, as technology companies develop tools that allow local governments to process data from cameras, sensors and other municipal systems.
Nvidia and its partners are expanding the use of physical AI and AI agents in cities worldwide, including projects in Nigeria and Morocco, as governments seek to use existing infrastructure to improve urban planning, public safety and municipal operations.
The systems combine digital twins, which create virtual representations of physical infrastructure, with AI agents that can analyse data, identify problems and support operational decisions. Shared computing infrastructure could also allow government departments and neighbouring municipalities to use AI services without having to build and maintain their own systems.
In Nigeria, Honeywell Technologies is developing an AI platform for Dangote’s Lekki refinery that uses Nvidia-powered agents to analyse operational data and identify production bottlenecks and equipment problems.
The Forge Plant Cognition platform uses Nvidia Nemotron models to interpret industrial data. A digital twin of the refinery and its processes, built using Nvidia Omniverse software libraries, is also planned to support simulation and training. The system runs on Dell PowerEdge servers equipped with Nvidia RTX PRO accelerators.
In Morocco, Cires Technologies is expanding a sovereign AI factory at Tanger Med port, with planned applications covering worker safety, congestion analysis, cargo routing and port operations.
The company is also developing a network of application providers to build local AI models and software for ports and cities, Nvidia said in a blog post on Monday.
Elsewhere, cities are deploying AI agents to handle resident inquiries and analyse video feeds from existing surveillance cameras.
In Spain, 1MillionBot combines open-source ALIA models trained at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center with Nvidia Nemotron and other models to provide automated services for Madrid Digital, the regional administration of Catalonia and more than 150 other deployments across the country.
The systems handle municipal procedures, appointment requests, urban planning incidents and public service inquiries.
In Malaysia, ITMAX is developing AI-powered traffic management services using Nvidia technology. Its SamurAI V2 vision agents are being scaled on Nvidia RTX PRO 6000 GPUs to support more than 17,000 cameras by 2027.
The system also integrates TeraSim, an open-source traffic simulation platform developed by Laplace Intelligence, to test traffic signal timings. ITMAX said the technology can reduce peak-hour travel times along traffic corridors by up to 26%.
In Poland, K2K is building shared AI infrastructure in Wroclaw to analyse existing camera feeds for traffic management, public safety and emergency response.
Nvidia said the approach could allow cities to use the same computing infrastructure across multiple municipal functions, potentially reducing the cost of deploying AI services.
The company is also promoting digital twins as tools for urban planning, allowing officials to simulate the environmental and social effects of proposed developments before construction begins.
In Taiwan, Linker Vision and Dutch architecture firm MVRDV are using Nvidia Omniverse and Nemotron to develop AI agents that assess the environmental impact of urban planning scenarios.
The companies said their system can simulate the 15-year effects of an urban forest canopy in 10 minutes, reducing the time required for each design iteration from two weeks to less than an hour.
The expansion comes as cities face pressure to manage growing populations, ageing infrastructure and demand for more efficient public services. However, wider adoption will depend on access to computing capacity, reliable data, technical expertise and safeguards governing the use of sensitive public information.
Nvidia is showcasing its urban AI technologies at the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona from Nov. 3 to Nov. 5, where the company is discussing applications of physical AI, agentic AI and local AI infrastructure.
Faustine Ngila is the AI Editor at Impact Newswire, based in Nairobi, Kenya. He is an award-winning journalist specializing in artificial intelligence, blockchain, and emerging technologies.
He previously worked as a global technology reporter at Quartz in New York and Digital Frontier in London, where he covered innovation, startups, and the global digital economy.
With years of experience reporting on cutting-edge technologies, Faustine focuses on AI developments, industry trends, and the impact of technology on society.
Idris Elba (Sierra Leonean/Ghanaian heritage, British)
Most Famous Movie: Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013)
Short Bio: While primarily known as a British actor, Idris Elba has strong West African roots. He is a highly acclaimed actor, producer, and musician, recognized for his versatility across film and television. His portrayal of Nelson Mandela in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom earned him significant praise. He has also starred in popular productions like The Wire, Luther, and the Thor franchise.
LunaStar
Fun South African Fact: Vilakazi Street in Soweto has been home to two Nobel Peace Prize winners. A tour through Soweto will always stop at Vilakazi Street to reveal a number of heritage sites of great importance to democratic South Africa. Both Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu lived here at some point in their lives. In 1984, Archbishop Desmond Tutu received the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition for his non-violent fight against the apartheid regime. Nine years later in 1993, Nelson Mandela shared the Nobel Peace Prize with then-president F.W. de Klerk as an award for their role in bringing about the peaceful end of apartheid. Nelson Mandela then went on to become South Africa’s first democratically elected president in 1994.
innocent ghost
Nauru: You have two cows. They probably weigh less than you.