Cassava Technologies, a global technology company of African heritage, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sand Technologies, a leading global enterprise AI solutions provider. The strategic agreement was announced at the Global AI Summit on Africa in Kigali, Rwanda. The partnership aims to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and GPU-as-a-service (GPUaaS) across Africa, empowering businesses with scalable, high-performance computing infrastructure and enterprise-grade AI capabilities.
A Shared Vision for Africa’s AI Future
As African businesses increasingly seek to unlock the potential of AI in various sectors—including telecommunications, healthcare, energy, water, and insurance—there is a rising demand for affordable and reliable GPU-powered processing. This partnership brings together Cassava Technologies’ advanced infrastructure and GPU capabilities with Sand Technologies’ enterprise AI expertise, enabling faster deployment of cutting-edge AI solutions across the continent.
“As more businesses across Africa explore AI-driven innovation, the demand for powerful GPU processing continues to grow,” said Hardy Pemhiwa, President and Group CEO of Cassava Technologies.
“By providing Sand Technologies with access to our NVIDIA-powered GPU infrastructure, we’re not only enabling the delivery of sophisticated AI solutions across sectors but also expanding Cassava’s role in shaping Africa’s digital economy. Our GPU-as-a-service model gives businesses affordable, scalable access to high-performance computing—exactly what they need to thrive in an AI-first world.”
GPU-as-a-Service for Scalable AI Growth in Africa
Under the new MoU, Sand Technologies will leverage Cassava’s GPU-as-a-service infrastructure to develop and deploy AI models that solve real-world challenges across Africa and other global regions. These GPU solutions—powered by NVIDIA’s high-performance hardware—will be used to accelerate model training, optimize data processing, and enable real-time AI analytics.
Key Benefits of the Partnership:
- Increased access to AI infrastructure: African startups, SMEs, and enterprises can now access scalable GPU power without the heavy capital investment.
- Faster AI deployment: Businesses can develop and implement AI models more quickly, improving innovation cycles.
- Sector-specific solutions: AI models tailored for healthcare diagnostics, utility management, predictive maintenance, financial modeling, and more.
- Cross-continental collaboration: Solutions developed in Africa can be scaled to other continents, and vice versa.
Fred Swaniker, Founder and CEO of Sand Technologies, emphasized the partnership’s transformative potential:
“We are proud to collaborate with Cassava Technologies at such a pivotal time for Africa’s AI landscape. This partnership allows us to bring the best of GPU infrastructure to our clients and support their digital transformation journeys across industries. Together, we will co-create solutions that elevate Africa’s position in the global AI economy.”
A Step Forward for Responsible AI Development in Africa
This collaboration reinforces Cassava Technologies’ commitment to responsible AI development and Africa-centric innovation. It follows Cassava’s earlier announcement of plans to launch Africa’s first AI Factory, which will provide access to world-class AI computing capabilities for governments, enterprises, and researchers.
Through this AI Factory and GPUaaS offerings, Cassava aims to:
- Foster innovation ecosystems across the continent
- Reduce the technology gap between Africa and developed markets
- Empower African tech talent to build homegrown solutions for local challenges
- Support government and private sector digital transformation strategies
The Future of AI in Africa Starts Now
This partnership marks a significant milestone in Africa’s journey toward AI self-sufficiency, digital inclusion, and global competitiveness. As the continent embraces AI as a driver of economic growth, initiatives like this will play a central role in ensuring access to the infrastructure and expertise needed to deliver results.
“By combining our advanced infrastructure with Sand Technologies’ AI capabilities, we are laying the foundation for a thriving AI ecosystem in Africa,” Pemhiwa added. “Our goal is to democratize access to high-performance AI computing, empower local innovators, and build solutions that impact lives across the continent.”
