Smart Street Lights with AI Technology
Thursday, 2026/05/07225 words3 minutes3190 reads
Warwickshire-based Conflow Power Group Limited has formalized an ambitious agreement with the Nigerian state of Katsina to deploy 50,000 solar-powered iLamps that function simultaneously as street lighting and distributed AI data centres. This innovative approach represents a departure from conventional data centre models, including Microsoft's underwater facilities and Elon Musk's proposed space-based systems.
Each iLamp unit incorporates batteries charged by cylindrical solar panels, powering a low-consumption computer chip utilizing merely 15 watts - technology made possible by NVIDIA's miniaturization advances. When networked collectively, these units theoretically deliver substantial processing capacity without drawing from electrical grids, addressing growing concerns about AI's energy consumption, which some estimates suggest already rivals that of entire nations.
However, industry veterans express reservations about the technology's scope. Professor Ian Bitterlin acknowledges potential applications as access points analogous to mobile phone masts, but questions their viability for training sophisticated large language models, citing latency issues from inter-unit distances. John Booth of Carbon3IT Ltd characterizes them as supplementary infrastructure suitable for modest AI applications rather than replacements for centralized facilities.
Beyond computational functions, the iLamps incorporate AI-powered surveillance capabilities detecting traffic violations and potentially employing facial recognition technology. The business model involves investors funding installation through green bonds, with returns generated from renting processing power to AI companies, while Katsina profits from automated traffic enforcement, eventually sharing 20% with CPG after three years.
