Cassava Technologies has launched its first AI Factory in South Africa, powered by NVIDIA’s AI platform, marking a significant step in building sovereign artificial intelligence infrastructure across Africa.
The company plans to expand the AI Factory footprint to Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, and Morocco as part of a broader strategy to localise high-performance computing and accelerate AI adoption on the continent.
“For Cassava, building Africa’s AI ecosystem is an act of empowerment, not just a technological milestone,” said Ahmed El Beheiry, Group COO and Group Chief Technology & AI Officer. “We are ensuring that African businesses aren’t just consumers of global tech—they are the architects of it.”
The AI Factory will provide services including GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS), AI-as-a-Service (AIaaS), and APIs, enabling businesses, governments, and developers to access advanced computing power locally rather than relying on overseas infrastructure.
Cassava said the initiative will support the development of AI models tailored to African languages and markets, starting with Swahili and expanding to languages such as Zulu and Afrikaans.
The deployment builds on the company’s AI Multi-Model Exchange (CAIMEx), launched in 2025, which allows developers to access, fine-tune, and deploy global large language models using integrated tools powered by NVIDIA technologies.
Cassava has also introduced an Autonomous Network blueprint on the CAIMEx platform, aimed at improving telecom network performance across Africa for mobile network operators.
Industry partners say the initiative could accelerate Africa’s digital transformation while addressing data sovereignty concerns.
“Africa is poised to leapfrog traditional infrastructure, and with this sovereign AI cloud, Cassava is delivering the ultimate engine for digital transformation,” said Haseeb Budhani, CEO of Rafay Systems.
Researchers also highlighted the importance of keeping data within the continent to develop locally relevant AI applications.
“The launch is a major milestone toward Africa’s digital sovereignty,” said Dr H. Sithole of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research.
Zindi CEO Celina Lee said the partnership would help developers build solutions to local challenges while fostering AI talent and job creation.
By localising compute infrastructure, Cassava aims to position Africa not only as a participant in the global AI race, but as a creator of AI technologies, supporting economic growth, innovation, and digital inclusion across multiple sectors.