Cassava Technologies has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the South African Artificial Intelligence Association (SAAIA) to broaden access to advanced artificial intelligence (AI) tools and infrastructure across Africa. The partnership aims to support local AI development by offering GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS) to over 3,000 South African AI practitioners.
Under the agreement, SAAIA members, which include entrepreneurs, researchers, and business professionals, will gain access to Cassava’s GPU-powered data centres to build and scale AI solutions. The two organisations also plan to collaborate on broader initiatives to strengthen Africa’s AI ecosystem.
“We are proud to partner with SAAIA to support the growth of Africa’s AI ecosystem,” said Ziaad Suleman, CEO of Cassava Technologies South Africa and Botswana.
“By extending our advanced AI infrastructure and capabilities to SAAIA’s growing community of AI professionals, we’re enabling greater access to the compute power required to build, test, and scale innovative local solutions. We believe this partnership will deliver meaningful value to both organisations and, more importantly, to the business and research communities driving AI development on the continent.”
SAAIA, which leads efforts to promote responsible AI development in South Africa, brings together stakeholders from the private sector, government, academia, and civil society. The association also organizes AI Expo Africa, the continent’s largest AI-focused event.
“SAAIA is pleased to be partnering with Cassava Technologies in strengthening AI in South Africa,” said Dr. Nick Bradshaw, Founder and Chairman of SAAIA. “Supporting local AI entrepreneurs is a key pillar of SAAIA, and access to GPU-as-a-Service is a key enabler to growing the emerging AI startup ecosystem.”
The agreement builds on Cassava’s ongoing AI expansion strategy, including its recently announced plans to develop Africa’s first AI factory. The company says these efforts are part of its broader mission to deliver world-class digital solutions and enable inclusive digital growth on the continent.
