Cassava Technologies in deal to scale Africa’s AI innovation

• The strategic partnership between Cassava Technologies and Zindi aims to empower local talent to drive AI innovation by leveraging GPU-powered resources to solve Africa’s unique challenges.
• collaboration is poised to see both entities explore opportunities to leverage each other’s platforms, ecosystems, and communities to expand reach, growth and impact.
• Part of the partnership will involve the launch of a dedicated AI challenge aimed at uncovering emerging talent and high-impact innovations.

The pace of AI innovation in Africa has received a timely boost with two companies Cassava Technologies and Zindi, a platform that unites data scientists across the continent, agreeing to partner to accelerate uptake of the new technology.

In a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the two firms have agreed to speed up the delivery of GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS) and AI-powered applications to address unique challenges in Africa, a move that is poised to significantly improve digital transformation across economies.

The move will see Cassava Technologies offer Zindi access to its advanced GPUaaS platform infrastructure, thereby enabling the development of innovative AI models and tools by data scientists in Africa.

According to web hosting services platform Liquid Web, GPU as a Service (GPUaaS) is a cloud-based offering that sees users to access powerful graphics processing units (GPUs) on demand. Rather than investing in and maintaining their own GPU hardware, users can rent the computing power they need from a cloud provider, scaling up or down as required.

This flexible model allows businesses and individuals to run demanding tasks—such as AI training, deep learning, and other high-performance computing applications—without the significant upfront costs and maintenance burdens of traditional, on-premises infrastructure.

In the Cassava Technologies and Zindi arrangement, the latter will usher its vibrant community of over 50,000 data scientists a chance to work with a wide range of information resources to develop, test, and accelerate the growth of AI innovation tools tailored for local challenges.  Zindi helps data practitioners of all levels learn, grow and access professional opportunities while building real-world solutions for global organisations.

On its part, through its business units: Cassava AI, Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Liquid C2, Africa Data Centres, and Sasai Fintech, Cassava Technologies provides its customers’ products and services across 94 countries.

Cassava Technologies, Zindi forge alliance for Africa’s digital growth

The partnership blends Cassava Technologies’ advanced digital infrastructure with Zindi’s mission to grow Africa’s AI talent pool by hosting data science competitions and challenges. This collaboration is poised to see both entities explore opportunities to leverage each other’s platforms, ecosystems, and communities to expand reach, growth and impact.

“For Africa’s AI ecosystem to grow and thrive, it is essential to provide platforms and resources for the continent’s developers and start-ups,” said Hardy Pemhiwa, President and Group CEO of Cassava Technologies. “Combining our data centres’ advanced GPU capabilities with Zindi’s innovative data science platform creates a powerful foundation for digital advancement. Cassava is proud to support local stakeholders as they develop digital solutions to some of Africa’s most pressing problems.”

Zindi, known as Africa’s pioneering AI challenge platform, works with private companies, governments, and NGOs to develop datasets and AI challenges aimed at solving real-world problems—from agriculture and healthcare to finance and education. The platform is instrumental in enabling local AI builders to access curated challenges and data while gaining exposure to hiring opportunities and funding.

Empowering talent, driving innovation

Zindi CEO and Co-Founder Celina Lee lauded the collaboration’s potential to redefine AI innovation on the continent. “Zindi is thrilled at the opportunity to partner with Cassava Technologies to strengthen African datasets, address local problems with locally-developed solutions, and help more African AI builders access the resources they need to succeed,” she said.

Lee added that a central part of the partnership will involve the launch of a dedicated AI challenge aimed at uncovering emerging talent and high-impact innovations. “Collaborating on the launch of a challenge specifically aimed at nurturing Africa’s AI talent will not only expose entrepreneurs and innovative solutions; it will help build new skills and create employment opportunities.”

Investing in Africa’s AI future

This partnership also aligns with Cassava’s broader ambitions for Africa’s digital economy. The company recently unveiled plans to launch its AI business in 2024, anchored by Africa’s first AI factory—an initiative that is tailored to boost local innovation, drive economic inclusion, and position Africa as a global player in responsible AI development.

With the signing of this MoU, Cassava and Zindi are not only building a pipeline of next-generation African AI experts but also laying the groundwork for a sustainable and inclusive AI ecosystem.

The collaboration serves as a test case in building Africa’s capacity to shape its digital future through innovation, investment, and partnerships that put local talent at the forefront of technological progress.

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