Cassava Technologies, founded by Strive Masiyiwa, has partnered with NVIDIA to establish Africa’s first AI factory. This state-of-the-art data center facility will be powered by NVIDIA’s advanced AI computing technology, providing African businesses, governments, and researchers with access to cutting-edge AI infrastructure.
The AI factory will initially deploy NVIDIA’s advanced computing and AI software at Cassava’s data centers in South Africa by June 2025, with plans to expand to Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, and Nigeria.
NVIDIA GPU-based supercomputers will power the AI factory, enabling faster AI model training, fine-tuning, and advanced inference capabilities. This will be supported by Cassava’s pan-African high-speed, ultra-low-latency fiber-optic network and sustainable data centers, delivering AI as a Service (AIaaS).
The AI factory aims to empower African businesses and governments to develop smarter AI solutions, optimize operations, and enhance global competitiveness while keeping data securely within the continent.
Strive Masiyiwa emphasized the importance of building digital infrastructure for Africa’s AI economy, stating that this partnership with NVIDIA will drive AI innovation and strengthen the continent’s digital independence. Jaap Zuiderveld, VP EMEA at NVIDIA, highlighted AI’s role in solving major challenges across industries in Africa, noting that Cassava’s initiative will foster innovation across the continent.
