AI and the future of developer innovations: Arm at Google DevFest Lagos

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the way we interact with our devices, with developers worldwide in pursuit of efficient and scalable solutions to build AI-powered applications.

At Google DevFest Lagos, the experience was nothing short of inspiring. Over a thousand developers gathered to explore how Arm's innovative technologies, which are at the heart of billions of devices, are driving performance, speed and efficiency.

A landmark event for developers in Africa

Google DevFest, the largest developer-focused event in Africa, has consistently drawn massive audiences, with over 7,000 developers attending in 2023. This year's edition maintained the momentum, drawing an enthusiastic crowd eager to delve into advancements in AI.

Arm was proud to be represented by a dynamic group of Arm Ambassadors at this year’s DevFest. Robert John, an Arm Ambassador and the first Google Developer Expert in Cloud and Machine Learning in Sub-Saharan Africa, led the engagement alongside Peter Ing, Derrick Sosoo, and Marvin Ngesa who were representing South Africa, Ghana, and Kenya, respectively.

Day 1: Setting the stage for innovation

The first day of DevFest Lagos was a hub of excitement as hundreds of developers, startup founders, and tech entrepreneurs visited the Arm booth.

AI developers of all disciplines, from app creators to full-stack engineers and mobile game developers, were eager to learn about Arm’s technologies and the resources offered through the Arm Developer Program.

Discussions spanned a wide range of topics, including Arm instances on Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and their cost benefits, AI frameworks like MediaPipe and ExecuTorch, responsible AI development, mobile app creation, and game development using Arm Performance Studio.

Arm’s comprehensive Learning Paths and resources sparked significant interest, providing developers with clear pathways to build and optimize their projects on Arm-based platforms.

Day 2: Exploring generative AI at the edge and in the cloud on Arm

Day two featured technical workshops by Arm Ambassadors, showcasing how Arm is empowering developers to innovate responsibly.

Peter Ing led a workshop on “Building a GenAI App on Android Using the ExecuTorch Framework with Arm KleidiAI.” This session introduced developers to PyTorch ExecuTorch and Arm KleidiAI and demonstrated how Arm CPUs can be utilized for real-time inference in the realm of “Responsible AI.” The ExecuTorch framework provides a seamless way to integrate AI models into Android apps, while Arm KleidiAI offers a highly optimized AI engine for Arm-based devices, enabling developers to create more interactive and intelligent applications.

The second workshop, led by John Robert is titled "Scale Your DevOps: Cloud on Arm". It explored the transformative potential of Arm-based servers on Google Cloud (T2A - Ampere Altra and C4A - Google Axion). John provided deep technical insights into how developers can harness the power of these servers to enhance cloud-native applications, delivering better performance, reduced latency, and increased scalability.

Conclusion: A unified vision for the future

The Google DevFest Lagos was a testament to the power of community, innovation, and technology in bridging the digital divide. Through workshops, discussions, and hands-on engagements, Arm showcased how its technologies are at the forefront of the AI revolution, driving innovation across Africa and beyond.

 As we continue to foster connections with developers worldwide, the focus remains clear: empowering developers with the right tools and resources they need to bring their visions to life. From AI-powered apps to scalable cloud solutions, Arm is committed to shaping a future built on innovation, inclusion, and collaboration.

 Together, we are not just building technology, we are shaping a smarter, more intelligent and more connected world on Arm.

 Join the Arm Developer Program here: https://www.arm.com/resources/developer-program?#register 

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