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Cassava Technologies, led by executive chairman Strive Masiyiwa, is set to establish five Artificial Intelligence (AI) factories within the next 12 months in a bold move to accelerate Africa’s digital transformation.
The facilities will be located in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt and Morocco, positioning Africa to become a serious contender in the global AI race. The initiative is designed to tackle data sovereignty concerns, expand cloud access, and provide computing power that has long been out of reach for African researchers and start-ups.
Masiyiwa said the project will allow Africa to “build economies around AI” without relying on infrastructure outside the continent.
By Ruvarashe Gora
Cassava has partnered with Nvidia to roll out advanced GPU-powered infrastructure, with the first facility in South Africa set to offer access to 3,000 Nvidia GPUs. According to the company, demand has already surpassed expectations as African innovators reserve much of the initial capacity.
Over time, Cassava expects to inject up to $720 million into pan-African AI infrastructure, supported by its network of subsidiaries including Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Africa Data Centres, Liquid Cloud C2, and the newly launched Cassava AI.
The company also unveiled an expanded ‘Sovereign AI Cloud’, which will allow each African country to host its own AI factory, addressing growing concerns over control and ownership of local data.
Time magazine recently reported that only 5% of Africa’s AI talent currently has access to adequate computing resources. Cassava’s expansion aims to bridge this gap, ensuring African innovators can access cutting-edge technology at home.
In addition, Cassava announced a partnership with Google to deliver ‘Gemini on Google Distributed Cloud’, a hybrid AI deployment that enables enterprises and governments to access advanced AI models on-premises or through the cloud.
Masiyiwa framed the investment as the next phase in Africa’s digital journey. “I helped pioneer Africa’s mobile revolution and then broadband connectivity. Now we are driving the continent’s AI revolution,” he said.
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