Strive Masiyiwa, Zimbabwean-born telecoms billionaire, founder of Cassava Technologies.

Anticipation hung in the air on the first day of the inaugural Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) Summit on Africa in Rwanda yesterday, as Africa's first AI factory vision milestone approached.

The summit marked the beginning of Africa's journey toward a digitally connected future through investing in the continent’s data centres.

Over 1,600 leaders, innovators, and policymakers gathered in Kigali to explore how AI can unlock Africa’s economic opportunities and drive innovation. 

The two-day event, themed “AI and Africa’s Demographic Dividend: Reimagining Economic Opportunities for Africa’s Workforce,” ends today with high hopes that the continent’s first AI factory, to be built in South Africa, will reshape its technological future.

The tone for the summit was set last week when Cassava Technologies, a tech firm founded by Zimbabwean telecoms billionaire Strive Masiyiwa, announced advanced plans to build Africa’s first "artificial intelligence factory" in partnership with leading AI chipmaker Nvidia.

“Cassava Technologies is proud to announce that it plans to help them build Africa’s first AI factory — a powerful and super-secure data center powered by NVIDIA AI computing technology,” the company stated last week.

The facility will provide African businesses, governments, and researchers access to cutting-edge AI computing capacity and stay competitive in a rapidly evolving world

Nvidia’s supercomputers, powered by graphics processing units (GPUs)—the chips commonly used in AI—will be deployed at Cassava’s data centres in South Africa starting as early as June. 

The company also plans to expand these capabilities to its facilities in Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, and Nigeria.

Masiyiwa, who is co-chairing the Summit, announced that the first shipment of over 3,000 GPUs will arrive in South Africa next month. 

An additional 10,000 units will be installed across five sites, providing the computing power necessary to support AI development across the continent.

He emphasised that Africa's greatest asset is its youth, who are well-positioned to leverage AI to create local solutions.

“The future comes from young people building apps and solutions, small businesses across this continent using AI. We just have to give them the ability to do what they do best,” he said.

President Paul Kagame, who opened the groundbreaking summit, called on the continent to harness its creativity and innovation to fully benefit from AI.

“Africa cannot afford to be left behind again in the digital revolution, playing catch-up. We must adapt, cooperate, and compete. It is in our best interest to do so,” he said.

Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary General of the International Telecommunications Union, pointed out that 17 out of 54 African countries already have AI policies in place. 

She emphasised the importance of continued global dialogue to address concerns such as data safety and security.