Africa: Masiyiwa's Cassava Taps Nvidia to Build Africa's First Ai Factory

25 March 2025
Daba Finance (Abidjan)
  • Cassava Technologies, founded by Zimbabwean telecoms tycoon Strive Masiyiwa, has selected Nvidia to build Africa's first artificial intelligence factory
  • The project will deploy Nvidia's advanced computing and AI software at Cassava data centers in South Africa by June 2025
  • Cassava aims to become Africa's first Nvidia cloud partner, providing accelerated computing capabilities across the continent

Cassava Technologies, founded by Zimbabwean telecoms tycoon Strive Masiyiwa, has selected Nvidia to build Africa's first artificial intelligence factory. The project will deploy Nvidia's advanced computing and AI software at Cassava data centers in South Africa by June 2025, with future expansion to Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, and Nigeria.

Cassava aims to become Africa's first Nvidia cloud partner, providing accelerated computing capabilities across the continent. The company says the infrastructure will support businesses, researchers, and startups with localized access to high-performance AI resources.

"The rollout of AI infrastructure is critical if Africa is to take full advantage of the fourth industrial revolution," said Masiyiwa. "Now African innovators don't have to look beyond the continent to access it." The move comes amid broader efforts to expand cloud capacity in Africa. Last year, Microsoft and UAE-based G42 announced interest in developing a $1 billion geothermal-powered data center in Kenya.

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Key Takeaways

Cassava's partnership with Nvidia marks a major step in scaling AI infrastructure in Africa, a region still underrepresented in the global AI ecosystem. The project could reduce barriers for African developers and institutions by localizing high-performance computing capabilities, encourage homegrown innovation, and attract more investment in the digital economy. As global tech giants begin targeting the continent's data center and cloud markets, Cassava's early positioning may give it a strategic edge in Africa's AI and cloud future.

Read the original article on Daba Finance.

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