The initiative to establish an artificial intelligence (AI) industry base in Africa is gaining momentum. Cassava Technologies, led by Zimbabwean billionaire Strive Masiyiwa, announced on the 28th that it would establish Africa’s first AI factory in South Africa by June 2025.
This project is being pursued based on a strategic collaboration with the U.S. semiconductor company NVIDIA. It will introduce NVIDIA’s GPU-based supercomputer and cloud architecture as key infrastructure. Through this factory, Cassava plans to provide AI as a Service (AIaaS) and supply high-performance AI computing services in various fields such as healthcare, agriculture, energy, and finance.
The AI factory is designed as an energy-efficient data center, processing and storing data within Africa to meet data sovereignty and regional regulations. Cassava plans to expand the service area to Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, and others using its Pan-African ultra-low latency fiber optic network.
Cassava will receive NVIDIA Cloud Partner (NCP) certification for the first time in Africa through this factory setup. This will enable local governments, research institutions, and companies to have direct access to AI computing resources, facilitating the development, analysis, and inference of AI models in various application fields.
Strive Masiyiwa, Executive Chairman of Cassava, stated, “This AI factory will support African innovators to make technological breakthroughs without looking outside,” adding, “This infrastructure will lay the foundation for Africa to leap into an AI-driven economy.”
Recently, in Africa, apart from Cassava, companies like Microsoft and UAE’s G42 have announced the construction of data centers in Kenya utilizing geothermal energy, indicating an increase in investments in digital infrastructure. The Cassava project is seen as a signal of Africa’s attempt to secure an independent position in the global AI ecosystem amid this trend.