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Cassava Technologies has partnered with the South African Artificial Intelligence Association (SAAIA) to provide GPU-as-a-service and AI infrastructure to a growing community of innovators, in a move set to strengthen Africa’s AI ecosystem.
Through the signed memorandum of understanding (MoU), more than 3,000 SAAIA-affiliated AI practitioners including researchers, entrepreneurs, and start-ups will gain access to Cassava’s data centre GPUs to build, test, and deploy AI solutions tailored to local and continental needs.
“We are proud to partner with SAAIA to support the growth of Africa’s AI ecosystem,” said Ziaad Suleman, CEO of Cassava Technologies South Africa and Botswana. “By extending our advanced AI infrastructure and capabilities to SAAIA’s growing community of AI professionals, we’re enabling greater access to the compute power required to build, test and scale innovative local solutions.”
By Ruvarashe Gora
The partnership goes beyond infrastructure. It also includes collaborative initiatives to promote ethical AI development, capacity building, and cross-sector innovation to ensure inclusive digital transformation across Africa.
Dr Nick Bradshaw, founder and chairman of SAAIA, said the deal directly supports local innovation. “Access to GPU-as-a-service is a key enabler for growing South Africa’s emerging AI start-up ecosystem. We are pleased to be partnering with Cassava Technologies in strengthening AI in South Africa,” he said.
The collaboration follows Cassava’s announcement of plans to build Africa’s first AI factory, an initiative designed to give local governments, researchers, and enterprises access to the compute power needed to drive AI development on the continent.
SAAIA, known for hosting the annual AI Expo Africa, continues to unify AI stakeholders across business, academia, government, and civil society in pushing forward the responsible use and adoption of artificial intelligence technologies.
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