Nvidia’s initiative differs from China’s investment moves. Unlike state-led investments, a private-sector led model will be adopted.
Within this framework, Cassava will take responsibility for building and operating data centers specifically designed to support AI development in various sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, and financial technology (fintech).
FIRST PHASE OF THE PROJECT
The first phase of the project began in June 2025, with 3,000 Nvidia GPUs delivered to a data center built by Cassava in South Africa.
By 2030, an additional 12,000 GPUs will be deployed across new facilities in Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya, and Morocco.
HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT AND MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
In addition to the investment, Cassava has signed a memorandum of understanding with the South African AI Association.
Under this agreement, more than 3,000 AI professionals will have direct access to GPUs, helping to develop human capital across the continent.
Considering that only 5% of African AI practitioners currently have access to the computing power needed for advanced work, this initiative represents a significant step forward.
IMPORTANCE OF AI FACTORIES AND DATA CENTERS
The AI factories to be established will provide African organizations with higher system performance, scalability, and the ability to turn raw data into actionable insights.
The new data centers will be optimized for AI workloads, giving local developers low-latency, high-bandwidth access to GPU clusters for model training and inference.
GLOBAL COMPETITION AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR AFRICA
Nvidia’s entry into Africa’s data center sector can also be seen as a stronger stance against China’s growing influence in AI systems.
While Chinese platforms such as DeepSeek R1 and Qwen offer more affordable models, U.S. companies still maintain an advantage in GPU and supercomputing performance.
However, the rivalry between these two superpowers could attract more investment and opportunities for Africa.