Johannesburg: Cassava Technologies has unveiled ambitious plans to construct Africa’s first AI Factory, a cutting-edge data centre facility powered by Nvidia’s advanced AI computing technology. This landmark project aims to democratize access to AI capabilities across the continent, empowering businesses, governments, and researchers to innovate and compete on a global scale.
The AI Factory will provide the essential infrastructure and software needed to train complex AI models, ensuring that valuable data remains within Africa’s borders. Cassava Technologies plans to deploy Nvidia’s accelerated computing and AI software, utilizing Nvidia Cloud Partner (NCP) reference architectures, at its South African data centres by June 2025. Subsequent expansions are planned for its facilities in Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, and Nigeria.
Leveraging Cassava’s extensive pan-African high-speed, ultra-low-latency fibre-optic network and sustainable data centres, the AI Factory will deliver AI as a Service (AIaaS). The data centres are designed for energy efficiency, minimizing electricity consumption for demanding AI workloads.
Nvidia’s GPU-based supercomputers will form the backbone of the AI Factory, enabling rapid AI model training, fine-tuning, and advanced inference capabilities. Cassava aims to be the first to introduce these accelerated computing platforms to Africa as an NCP, playing a pivotal role in the continent’s burgeoning AI ecosystem.
Strive Masiyiwa, founder and chairman of Cassava Technologies, emphasized the strategic importance of this initiative. “Building digital infrastructure for the AI economy is a priority if Africa is to take full advantage of the fourth industrial revolution,” he stated. “Our AI Factory provides the infrastructure for this innovation to scale, empowering African businesses, startups, and researchers with access to cutting-edge AI infrastructure to turn their bold ideas into real-world breakthroughs – and now, they don’t have to look beyond Africa to get it.”
Masiyiwa highlighted the collaborative partnership with Nvidia, noting that it provides the advanced computing capabilities necessary to drive Africa’s AI innovation while strengthening the continent’s digital independence.
Jaap Zuiderveld, vice-president: EMEA at Nvidia, echoed this sentiment, stating, “AI is helping innovators solve our greatest challenges in agriculture, healthcare, energy, financial services, and many other industries, creating opportunity in Africa. As an Nvidia Cloud Partner, Cassava is providing essential infrastructure and software to help pioneering companies and organizations accelerate AI development to foster innovation across the continent.”
This project signals a significant leap forward in Africa’s technological landscape, positioning the continent as a key player in the global AI revolution. By providing access to advanced AI infrastructure, Cassava Technologies aims to unlock the immense potential of African innovators and drive sustainable economic growth.
