‘Strong Infrastructure Critical To Unlocking AI In Healthcare’

Vice President for Secure Power, Sub-Saharan Africa at Schneider Electric, Steven Santini, has said that building a strong infrastructure backbone is critical to unlocking the full potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare.

Santini said reliable power systems, efficient cooling mechanisms and robust data centre designs are essential for healthcare institutions seeking to maximise AI applications and improve patient care outcomes.

According to him, uninterrupted healthcare operations remain non-negotiable, stressing that AI platforms depend on continuous data processing, where even minor disruptions could affect diagnostics, delay treatments, or interrupt critical workflows.

He explained that a Tier IV data centre, with 99.99 per cent uptime and full fault tolerance, represents the benchmark for ensuring uninterrupted healthcare services, even during multiple system failures.

Santini noted that localised data centres, particularly edge deployments, provide healthcare providers with greater control over their operational environments. He said hospitals could implement customised solutions tailored to specific challenges, including backup power systems, redundancy measures, and real-time monitoring, rather than relying on distant facilities.

He further highlighted that AI adoption in healthcare is accelerating due to its capacity to improve efficiency and precision across medical practices. Still, he warned that the technology requires significant processing power and cooling capacity.

“High-performance computing generates substantial heat, and without effective thermal management, system reliability and lifespan can be compromised,” he said. Santini added that healthcare organisations can optimise investments by directing resources toward operations requiring the highest cooling capacity and adopting flexible infrastructure tailored to specific use cases.

He maintained that there is no universal model for AI infrastructure in healthcare, as facilities operate within different contexts shaped by legacy systems, clinical priorities, physical limitations, and local infrastructure conditions.

According to him, this has driven increased interest across Africa in prefabricated modular data centres, which offer scalable and customisable alternatives to traditional infrastructure models. Santini said the future success of AI in healthcare would depend not only on technological advancement but also on the strength and resilience of supporting infrastructure. He urged healthcare providers to align infrastructure investments with clinical objectives to fully harness AI’s transformative potential in healthcare delivery.