Cassava receives investment from Nvidia
Investment follows multi-billion-dollar deal with Nvidia.
** For the best experience, download the free Africa Private Equity News app Android | iOS **
Cassava Technologies, founded by Zimbabwean businessman Strive Masiyiwa, has received an investment from chipmaker Nvidia.
Earlier this year, Cassava signed a multi-billion-dollar deal with Nvidia to bring advanced artificial intelligence (AI) computing capabilities to its data centres in Africa. Under the agreement, Cassava will deploy Nvidia’s graphic processing units (GPUs) and software tools at its facilities. The infrastructure will allow companies, governments and researchers to train AI models locally while retaining data within the continent.
“Cassava is Africa’s leading technology company, driving the continent’s digital transformation with digital infrastructure and digital services. Securing this investment is an important milestone that we expect to unlock additional value from and catalyse the further expansion of our digital infrastructure and services to bridge the digital divide on the continent,” said Hardy Pemhiwa, president and group CEO of Cassava Technologies.
Cassava’s other investors include Econet Group, British International Investment, DFC, Finnfund, the Fund for Export Development in Africa, Gateway Capital, Google, the International Finance Corporation, South Africa’s Public Investment Corporation, and Royal Bafokeng Holdings.
Cassava operates across Africa, the Middle East and Latin America through a portfolio of business units comprising Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Africa Data Centres, Liquid C2, Cassava.ai, and Sasai Fintech.
Want to know who is raising, investing, and exiting in Africa? Get Africa Private Equity News’ monthly Dealmaker’s Log – a database of reported investment deals, exits, and fundraising closes. Subscribe now
This is a significnt partnership for Africa's digital infrastructure! Nvidia's investment in Cassava Technologies shows the growing importance of AI computing on the continent. The deployment of GPUs in local data centers will enable African companies and researchers to train models locally, which is crucial for data sovereignty and innovation.
This investment represents a pivotal moment for Africa's AI infrastructure. What's compelling is not just the hardware deployment but the emphasis on local data sovereignty - allowing African institutions to train models without data leaving the continent. The collaboration between Cassava's existing pan-African footprint and Nvidia's compute capabilites could genuinely leapfrog traditional infrastructure gaps. Hardy Pemhiwa's track record with Econet suggests this won't just be about building capacity, but building an actual AI ecosystem.