One of the most crypto-friendly nations worldwide, El Salvador, is now working hard to develop domestic AI infrastructure, leveraging the tools brought by NVIDIA.
The government of El Salvador released a statement on Monday, revealing its intentions to focus on building domestic AI infrastructure with the help of one of the industry leaders, a prominent chipmaker, NVIDIA.
The country’s officials aim to upskill the local workforce and create technical solutions powered by the best AI tools to address local socio-economic challenges, such as improving healthcare delivery, advancing education, and boosting national economic productivity.
With these purposes in mind, the National Bitcoin Office (ONBTC) of El Salvador under President Nayib Bukele has signed a Letter of Intent to collaborate with NVIDIA on Sovereign AI initiatives.
NVIDIA will provide El Salvador with advanced AI tools, knowledge, and support needed to boost the country’s growth. This will help the country build its own customised AI systems that reflect its culture, language, environment, and economy.
Besides the technical part, El Salvador plans to start AI training programs for developers, researchers, and government workers. This will help build the skills needed to support the country’s AI goals.
The agreement also includes creating better weather and rainfall prediction tools. These tools will help improve emergency response, protect people in areas at risk of mudslides, and manage hydroelectric power more effectively. To facilitate those processes, NVIDIA might offer a range of products, including its Earth-2 solution – a simulation initiative focused on creating a virtual model of the Earth and understanding complex processes like climate change, weather patterns, and ocean currents.
This announcement comes at an important time, as countries around the world see AI as key to economic growth and social progress. Thus, one of the recent Nvidia AI conferences explored the potential of sovereign AI. This term refers to a nation’s ability to develop and operate artificial intelligence systems using its own infrastructure, data, workforce, and business networks.
This approach ensures that AI technologies align with the country’s unique cultural, linguistic, environmental, and economic contexts. By building AI capabilities domestically, countries can maintain control over their data and technological advancements, promoting inclusiveness and addressing local priorities. As the government, local telecom providers, and educational institutions collaborate with the industry leaders, they strive to build sovereign AI clouds and regional AI hubs to tailor AI applications to local needs instead of relying on external solutions, which may not reflect regional realities.
NVIDIA supports countries in establishing sovereign AI through several key initiatives. First, the firm provides advanced computing platforms, such as the DGX SuperPOD, enabling nations to build their own AI supercomputers. In addition, NVIDIA’s tools, such as NeMo and NIM microservices, assist in developing large language models (LLMs) that reflect a country’s language, culture, and societal nuances. Furthermore, by offering training programs and resources, NVIDIA helps nations cultivate a skilled workforce capable of sustaining and advancing their sovereign AI initiatives.
El Salvador’s agreement with NVIDIA puts it ahead of many developing nations in adopting this powerful technology.
