TECHNOLOGY firm, Cassava Technologies, says it will deploy an artificial intelligence (AI) factory powered by Nvidia in South Africa, marking a major step in expanding Africa’s AI infrastructure.
The move comes barely a week after President Emmerson Mnangagwa launched Zimbabwe’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, which runs from 2026 to 2030.
The strategy aims to develop locally driven AI systems that reflect Zimbabwean values, support indigenous languages and address national challenges.
Cassava is spearheading AI factory development as the digital services and infrastructure arm of Econet Global Limited, founded by Zimbabwean billionaire Strive Masiyiwa.
The group is the majority shareholder in Econet Wireless Zimbabwe.
“Cassava Technologies, a global technology leader of African heritage, is deploying its AI factory, powered by Nvidia AI platform, in South Africa, with plans to scale to Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt and Morocco,” Cassava said in a statement.
The firm’s AI Multi-Model Exchange (CAIMEx), launched in 2025, provides African developers with access to leading AI tools and large language models, enabling them to build, fine-tune and deploy applications using Nvidia-powered infrastructure.
Nvidia, a global leader in AI chips, controls about 80% of the market and has seen its valuation surge amid rising demand for AI computing power.
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Cassava said its recently launched Autonomous Network — built on the CAIMEx platform — is designed to improve network performance across Africa and is available to mobile network operators.
“The localised deployment of high-performance computing marks a turning point for the continent. By offering GPUaaS, AIaaS/APIs, Cassava is removing traditional barriers to entry, providing access to local computing power.
Cassava added that sovereign AI factories would keep data within borders, tailor models to local languages and cultures, and drive job creation, innovation and economic growth.
The company said the initiative is enabling African governments and businesses across sectors — including telecoms, finance, healthcare, mining and retail — to innovate independently and compete globally.
Cassava group chief operating officer and chief technology and AI officer Ahmed El Beheiry said the initiative was about empowerment.
“As the continent’s first Nvidia cloud partner, we are ensuring that African businesses aren’t just consumers of global tech — they are the architects of it,” he said.
“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.”
