In a move set to transform Africa’s artificial intelligence (AI) landscape, Cassava Technologies and Sand Technologies have forged a strategic partnership to unlock affordable, enterprise-grade AI capabilities for businesses across the continent. 

The alliance, announced during the Global AI Summit on Africa, positions both companies at the forefront of Africa’s digital evolution by making GPU-as-a-service (GPUaaS) accessible to enterprises in key sectors such as healthcare, energy, telecommunications, and finance.

Driven by a shared mission to catalyze inclusive AI adoption, the partnership will see Sand Technologies gain access to Cassava’s NVIDIA-powered GPU infrastructure, allowing for the development and deployment of advanced AI solutions tailored for African markets. In turn, Cassava expands its reach deeper into critical industries, offering scalable computing power to organizations that previously lacked access to such infrastructure.

“As more businesses across Africa seek to harness the potential of AI, the demand for powerful GPU processing capabilities is increasing,” said Hardy Pemhiwa, President and Group CEO of Cassava Technologies. “By providing Sand Technologies with access to Cassava’s GPU solutions, we are not only enabling them to develop advanced AI solutions for their clients across industries but also expanding Cassava’s footprint into these industries.“

Sand Technologies, with a strong track record in deploying AI in asset-heavy sectors across multiple continents, brings valuable implementation expertise to the table. The collaboration will focus on identifying high-impact pilot use cases, co-developing industry-specific AI solutions, and driving adoption at scale.

“Sand Technologies is proud to partner with Cassava in what is set to be a pivotal moment for the advancement of industry-related AI solutions on the African continent,” said Fred Swaniker, Founder and CEO of Sand Technologies. “It will enable us to bring the best of Cassava’s GPU processing power to our clients and position us to support their digital transformation journeys.” 

The announcement comes on the heels of Cassava Technologies’ bold plans to launch Africa’s first AI Factory, a facility aimed at giving African enterprises and researchers unprecedented access to high-performance AI computing resources.