Founder of Cassava Strive Masiyiwa
by SAT Reporter
Cassava Technologies, a pan-African technology company, has announced a partnership with NVIDIA to establish Africa’s first AI Factory. This initiative involves installing NVIDIA’s supercomputer Graphic Processing Units (GPUs) at Cassava’s hyperscale data centres across five African countries, aiming to enhance the continent’s artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities.
The project, internally referred to as “Project Mufungi,” represents one of Cassava Technologies’ most ambitious undertakings since the development of Liquid’s continental-scale fibre optic network, which spans nearly the entire continent and took over two decades to complete. The AI Factory is expected to be operational within 18 months, with the first cluster of GPUs set to go live in June this year.
Cassava AI, the business unit overseeing this project, has introduced “Cassava Intelligence as a Service” (CIaaS), aiming to provide accessible AI solutions tailored to the African context. This service is designed to address challenges such as developing large language AI models for indigenous African languages, which require significant computational resources. The deployment of NVIDIA’s GPUs is anticipated to facilitate such projects, enabling the creation of AI models that reflect Africa’s diverse linguistic and cultural landscape.
The leadership team driving this initiative includes Group President and CEO Hardy Pemhiwa, Group COO and Chief AI Officer Ahmed El Beheiry, CEO of Liquid C2 Cloud and Cybersecurity Oswald Jumira, and AI experts Dr. Prince Abudu and Gavin Manning. The team has grown to over 100 members, with plans to expand further. Cassava Technologies is actively seeking professionals with advanced degrees in Computer Science or Engineering who are interested in contributing to Africa’s AI future.
The AI Factory is expected to support various sectors, including healthcare and agriculture. For instance, collaborations are underway with AI medical startups developing generative AI solutions for nurses and with groups creating AI tools for smallholder farmers. These initiatives aim to harness AI to address specific challenges within African communities, fostering innovation and economic growth.
This collaboration between Cassava Technologies and NVIDIA signifies a commitment to ensuring that Africa actively participates in the global AI landscape. By developing AI solutions rooted in African data, languages, and cultural contexts, the initiative seeks to empower local entrepreneurs and innovators, contributing to the continent’s digital transformation.