Cassava Technologies to build Africa’s first AI factory with NVIDIA-powered supercomputers

BY MOTOLANI OSENI

Cassava Technologies has unveiled plans to establish Africa’s first AI factory, a cutting-edge data centre powered by NVIDIA’s advanced AI computing technology. This groundbreaking facility will provide African businesses, governments, and researchers with high-performance AI infrastructure, driving innovation while ensuring data sovereignty on the continent.

According to Cassava, the AI factory will launch in South Africa by June 2025 before expanding to Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, and Nigeria. The facility will be integrated into Cassava’s pan-African high-speed, ultra-low-latency fibre-optic network and sustainable data centres, delivering AI as a Service (AIaaS).

The AI factory will be equipped with NVIDIA GPU-based supercomputers, enabling accelerated AI model training, fine-tuning, and inference capabilities. As an NVIDIA Cloud Partner, Cassava aims to pioneer Africa’s AI ecosystem by offering the continent’s first large-scale AI computing platform.

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“With this AI Factory, African businesses and governments can develop, train, and scale AI solutions locally in a secure, high-performance environment, fully compliant with global and regional regulations,” Cassava stated. Cassava’s Founder & Chairman, Strive Masiyiwa, emphasised that Africa must invest in digital infrastructure to harness the full potential of the fourth industrial revolution.

“Our AI Factory provides the backbone for scaling innovation, giving African startups, businesses, and researchers access to world-class AI infrastructure without needing to look outside the continent,” Masiyiwa said. “By collaborating with NVIDIA, we are equipping Africa with the computing power needed to drive AI innovation while strengthening digital independence.”

Jaap Zuiderveld, VP EMEA at NVIDIA, noted that AI is transforming industries such as agriculture, healthcare, energy, and financial services across Africa. “As an NVIDIA Cloud Partner, Cassava is delivering essential AI infrastructure and software, enabling organisations to accelerate AI development and unlock new opportunities across the continent,” Zuiderveld said.

Cassava’s AI initiative positions it at the forefront of Africa’s AI revolution. However, other tech giants, including Microsoft and UAE’s AI firm G42, have also signalled interest in Africa’s AI market. Last year, G42 and Microsoft announced plans for a $1 billion geothermal-powered data centre in Kenya to boost cloud computing capacity in East Africa. With Cassava’s AI factory set to reshape the continent’s digital landscape, Africa is on the brink of a major AI transformation, poised to drive local innovation, economic growth, and global competitiveness.