In a landmark move that redefines the continental landscape of AI infrastructure, NVIDIA has partnered with Cassava Technologies to launch Africa’s first AI data centres, also known as AI factories. This $700 million deal is a strategic pivot towards leveling the playing field for African tech innovation—delivering cutting-edge hardware, low-latency access, and once-elusive computational power to local developers, businesses, and governments.
Bridging a Critical Infrastructure Gap
Africa faces a stark reality: fewer than 5% of the continent’s AI professionals currently have access to the computing power needed for advanced work. Of those, only about 20% operate with dedicated GPU resources; many rely on constrained cloud service budgets capped at around $1,000 monthly. This has created what analysts call a compute gap that NVIDIA and Cassava are now poised to close through a network of AI factories across the continent.
The First Phase: South Africa
The rollout began in June 2025 with the deployment of 3,000 NVIDIA GPUs into a state-of-the-art data centre built by Cassava in South Africa. Within the next three to four years, an additional 12,000 GPUs will be distributed across facilities in Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya, and Morocco. That expansion is both bold in scope and deliberate in its pacing.
A Shift from Aid to Commercial Diplomacy
This private-sector-led initiative marks a departure from traditional state-driven models. In contrast to China’s Belt & Road and Digital Silk Road programs, NVIDIA’s partnership reflects a broader U.S. “commercial diplomacy” strategy that favors trade-based infrastructure investment over traditional aid frameworks. It aims to foster long-term self-sufficiency and greater influence through tech empowerment rather than dependency.
Empowering Innovation Across Sectors
Target sectors such as healthcare, fintech, agriculture, and education stand to benefit significantly. These AI factories will enable real-time experimentation, model training, and inferencing at scale—with the potential to unlock new forms of productivity, insight, and business value for African organizations and startups grounded in local realities.
Human Capital Goes Hand in Hand
Recognizing infrastructure alone isn’t enough; Cassava has signed a memorandum with the South African AI Association. Over 3,000 AI practitioners will gain GPU access, creating a feedback loop of skilled talent and technology-ready environments for applied research and innovation.
NVIDIA’s Technological Edge
NVIDIA holds a commanding 93% of the global GPU market, making it the powerhouse behind much of the AI training hardware used worldwide. Its latest Blackwell-generation systems bring innovations in energy and water efficiency, including direct-to-chip liquid cooling that can save millions annually in operating costs for high-density AI workloads.
Navigating Geopolitical Currents
The alliance also reflects shifting geopolitical strategies. As the U.S. and China compete for influence in Africa, NVIDIA’s infrastructure-first approach offers a technology‑first alternative to China’s state-led initiatives. Unlike lower-cost but constrained Chinese AI models, this infrastructure allows local African entities to build homegrown capabilities with high-end hardware.
Looking Ahead: From Africa to the World
This initiative places Africa in the vanguard of global AI expansion. By enabling sovereign access to premium machine learning compute infrastructure, NVIDIA and Cassava are not only reshaping Africa’s innovation ecosystem—they’re demonstrating a scalable model for AI infrastructure deployment in emerging markets.
Final Thoughts
NVIDIA’s strategy in Africa isn’t just about hardware distribution—it’s a systemic investment in talent, sustainability, and autonomy. As these AI factories come online, they will serve as crucibles for local innovation, powering applications rooted in regional needs but scalable globally. In doing so, Africa won’t simply be catching up—it will be redefining the AI frontier.
