Oscar J. Jeke- Zim Now Reporter
Africa is set to enter the artificial intelligence revolution with the launch of its first AI factory, an initiative led by businessman Strive Masiyiwa’s Cassava Technologies in partnership with Nvidia.
The partnership will see Cassava deploy Nvidia’s computing technology at its African data centers, starting in South Africa in June this year. This AI factory will provide the computational infrastructure needed for local developers to build and train AI models tailored for Africa, ensuring that data generated on the continent remains within Africa.
“By installing supercomputers powered by NVIDIA GPUs, Cassava will enable local developers to create AI solutions that can harness the immense computing power hosted at Cassava’s data centers,” the company said in a statement.
Nvidia’s Vice President of EMEA, Jaap Zuiderveld, emphasized the potential of AI to drive innovation across key sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, energy, and financial services. “AI is helping innovators solve our greatest challenges, creating opportunities in Africa,” Zuiderveld said.
Masiyiwa revealed that the idea for the AI factory was sparked by a discussion where Africa was described as merely a consumer of AI due to the high cost of computing power. He sees this investment as a game-changer, particularly in the development of AI models that support African languages and local needs.
“Think of it this way: Let’s say you want to develop a large language AI model for your mother tongue. Acquiring the skills to do that is not such a big deal, but accessing the ‘compute’ needed to power the processing in a cost-effective manner is challenging,” Masiyiwa explained.
The AI factory aims to bridge the technology gap by providing Africa with the tools necessary to create its own AI-driven solutions.
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