The technology services group, founded by Zimbabwean billionaire Strive Masiyiwa, is spearheading the development as the digital services and infrastructure arm of Econet Global Limited. The AI Factory is powered by NVIDIA's AI platform, and Cassava is the continent's first NVIDIA Cloud Partner.
A Second AI Factory Planned for Johannesburg
Cassava is actively preparing for a second AI factory in Johannesburg, which is expected to significantly expand capacity. Ziaad Suleman, CEO of Cassava South Africa and Botswana, told ITWeb that "the attraction to what we are building has been immense and very exciting. Based on that demand, the Johannesburg AI factory is just around the corner."
The company plans to leverage its existing data centre footprint in Johannesburg, where it has space for a 20MW installation. The Cape Town facility is already equipped to support demand across South Africa, including Johannesburg, through connectivity into the company's data centre ecosystem.
Building a Pan-African AI Ecosystem
Cassava's AI ambitions extend well beyond South Africa. The company aims to deploy between 12,000 and 13,000 GPUs across the continent, with expansion into additional regions driven by demand, investment and capacity.
"Once we have the Johannesburg facility in place, our reach into Africa allows us to expand further," Suleman said. "We have data centre presence in Nigeria and Kenya, so it makes sense to continue building from there. We are also looking at North Africa, including Morocco and Egypt, as part of our broader vision."
The expansion includes plans to scale to Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt and Morocco, making AI compute accessible across key African markets.
Sovereign AI and Local Language Models
A key feature of the AI Factory model is its focus on sovereign AI, ensuring that data generated within Africa remains on the continent. This approach allows for the development of locally relevant AI models while addressing data privacy, regulatory and security concerns.
Ahmed El Beheiry, Group COO and Chief Technology & AI Officer at Cassava Technologies, emphasised the strategic importance of the initiative:
"Our goal is to give Africa the infrastructure to write its own future, using its own languages – starting with Swahili, then expanding to languages such as Zulu and Afrikaans to better serve local users and markets – and data to build a digital legacy on its own terms."
The AI Factory builds on Cassava's earlier launch of the Cassava AI Multi-Model Exchange (CAIMEx), a platform that allows developers to access and fine-tune large language models using NVIDIA Blueprints, Models and NIM microservices. The company recently introduced its Autonomous Network blueprint, designed to improve network performance for mobile operators across the continent.
Democratising Access to AI Computing
The AI Factory model is designed to provide African businesses, developers and governments with advanced tools to build, train and deploy AI solutions locally. The company is offering services such as GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS) and AI-as-a-Service (AIaaS), lowering the barrier to entry for organisations that previously lacked access to advanced computing resources.
Currently, only about five percent of African AI talent has access to the high-performance computing required to train advanced AI models. The new infrastructure is expected to enable more local development in sectors including finance, health, education and agriculture.
Industry and Research Support
The initiative has received positive feedback from partners and customers. Haseeb Budhani, CEO of Rafay Systems, described the development as a critical engine for digital transformation, enabling African enterprises to build resilient AI systems while maintaining control over their data.
South Africa's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research noted that local AI infrastructure would support research in key sectors such as healthcare, agriculture and energy. Dr H. Sithole, Centre Manager of the National Integrated Cyberinfrastructure at the CSIR, said: "The launch of the first Cassava AI Factory in the country and its expansion across the continent is a major milestone toward Africa's digital sovereignty."
Zindi, an African data science platform, welcomed the initiative, highlighting its potential to unlock AI talent across the continent and foster homegrown innovation. Zindi CEO and Co-Founder Celina Lee said: "Through Cassava AI Factory, powered by NVIDIA accelerated computing platforms, Cassava is helping the Zindi developer community build best-of-breed AI solutions to their own local problems."
A Vertically Integrated Digital Ecosystem
Cassava provides a vertically integrated ecosystem of digital solutions and infrastructure, enabling digital transformation for African firms. Its connectivity spans over 110,000 kilometres of fibre across the continent, supported by subsea cables, satellite and microwave links. The company's business units include Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Africa Data Centres, Liquid C2 and Sasai Fintech, all providing data storage, connectivity and cybersecurity services.
By scaling AI infrastructure and enabling local innovation, Cassava is seeking to transform Africa's role in the global technology space from a passive participant into an active creator of next-generation AI solutions. Completion of all five planned AI factories is expected by late 2026, positioning Cassava as one of the leading builders of AI infrastructure in Africa.
With reporting from ITWeb, NewsDay Zimbabwe, BusinessDay Nigeria, Independent Online, ZAWYA, APAnews, Future Media News, Business Daily Zimbabwe, Africa Business Guide and Cassava Technologies.
