- Strive Masiyiwa’s Cassava Technologies partners with Nvidia to implement advanced AI software in South Africa by June 2025
- The initiative will provide African businesses, governments, and researchers with access to cutting-edge AI computing capabilities
- The project has secured a $90 million equity investment the US International Development Finance Corporation, Finland’s Finnfund, and Google
Harare-Cassava Technologies, a prominent digital infrastructure company headquartered in the UK and founded by Strive Masiyiwa, has partnered with Nvidia to implement advanced artificial intelligence (AI) software across its data centres in South Africa by June 2025.
This ambitious initiative aims to establish Africa’s first AI factory, positioning the continent as a hub for AI-driven computing services.
“This will give African businesses, governments, and researchers access to cutting-edge AI computing capacity—helping them develop smarter AI products, streamline operations, and remain competitive in a rapidly changing world,’’ the company said in a press statement.
The project has attracted significant financial investment, including a $90 million equity stake from key players such as the US International Development Finance Corporation, Finland’s Finnfund, and Google.
Following the initial rollout, the project will expand to facilities in Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, and Nigeria.
The establishment of the AI factory is a strategic effort to provide African stakeholders with the necessary AI computing capabilities.
Strive Masiyiwa emphasised that partnering with Nvidia, recognized as the world’s most valuable chip maker, equips Cassava with the advanced computing power essential for driving AI innovation throughout Africa.
The AI factory will utilise Nvidia's GPU-based supercomputers, which are critical for efficient AI model training and advanced inference capabilities.
By leveraging Nvidia Cloud Partner (NCP) reference architectures, Cassava aims to offer AI as a Service (AIaaS), facilitating the rapid development of smarter AI products and streamlined operations across various sectors, including agriculture, healthcare, and financial services.
Cassava Technologies boasts an extensive digital infrastructure, featuring a 60,000-mile fibre optic cable network that stretches from Cape Town to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
This strong network is vital for ensuring high-speed, ultra-low-latency connectivity, which is crucial for AI applications.
The establishment of AI-enabled data centres will not only promote the development of domestic AI technologies but also enhance productivity through developing local solutions to local challenges, enabling Africans to build, train, scale and deploy AI in a secure environment compliant with global and local regulations, data protection, and overall competitiveness for African businesses.
The company is also committed to building energy-efficient data centres that utilise renewable energy sources, thereby minimising the carbon footprint associated with AI computing workloads. This approach aligns with global efforts to promote responsible AI adoption and innovation.
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