Cassava Technologies has unveiled plans to construct Africa’s inaugural AI factory, a state-of-the-art data centre facility leveraging NVIDIA AI computing technology.
This groundbreaking initiative aims to provide African businesses, governments, and researchers with access to advanced AI computing capabilities, enabling them to develop sophisticated AI products, optimize operations, and maintain competitiveness in an ever-evolving global landscape.
The AI factory will offer essential supercomputers and software crucial for AI training, ensuring data remains within Africa’s borders. This strategic move is expected to significantly enhance the continent’s capacity for AI-driven innovation and application.
Cassava intends to deploy NVIDIA accelerated computing and AI software utilizing NVIDIA Cloud Partner (NCP) reference architectures at its data centres in South Africa by June 2025. Plans for expansion include additional facilities in Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, and Nigeria. The AI Factory will utilize Cassava’s extensive pan-African high-speed, ultra-low-latency fibre-optic network, combined with sustainable data centre solutions, to offer AI as a Service (AIaaS).
The AI factory will be powered by NVIDIA GPU-based supercomputers, facilitating faster training of AI models and advanced inference capabilities. As an NVIDIA Cloud Partner, Cassava is set to be the first to introduce these accelerated computing platforms to the continent, playing a pivotal role in shaping Africa’s AI ecosystem.
The Cassava AI Factory aims to equip businesses and researchers with the necessary AI computing power to scale operations and boost productivity.By providing a secure and performant environment, it enables African entities to develop localized solutions to regional challenges while ensuring compliance with both global and local regulations.
“Building digital infrastructure for the AI economy is a priority if Africa is to take full advantage of the fourth industrial revolution,” said Strive Masiyiwa, Founder and Chairman of Cassava. “Our AI Factory provides the infrastructure for this innovation to scale, empowering African businesses, startups, and researchers with access to cutting-edge AI resources right here in Africa.”
“AI is helping innovators solve our greatest challenges in agriculture, healthcare, energy, financial services, and many other industries, creating opportunities across Africa. As an NVIDIA Cloud Partner, Cassava is providing the essential infrastructure and software to help pioneering companies and organizations accelerate AI development and foster innovation throughout the continent,” said Jaap Zuiderveld, VP EMEA at NVIDIA following the announcement.
