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Vodafone Business and Cassava Technologies have announced a partnership to develop Egypt’s first AI factory, a sovereign AI infrastructure project designed to host and process AI workloads locally.
The initiative aims to position Egypt as a regional hub for artificial intelligence and technology while strengthening the country’s data hosting and processing capabilities.
Mahmoud El-Khatib, Vice President of Enterprise Business at Vodafone Egypt, said: “Through this collaboration, we are strengthening Egypt’s AI infrastructure capabilities and developing sovereign AI solutions by leveraging locally hosted global technologies that ensure data residency within Egypt. This is achieved through the delivery of GPU-as-a-Service, enabling organisations to access advanced computing capabilities more efficiently and rapidly, supporting the country’s vision of building a more competitive digital economy, enhancing digital sovereignty, and attracting new investments in advanced cutting-edge technologies.”
The partnership gives government entities, industry sectors, and consumers access to full-stack AI infrastructure that complies with local data residency requirements.
Cassava Technologies, Africa’s first NVIDIA cloud partner, offers access to GPU-as-a-Service and training programs. This allows organisations to enhance their AI skills and implement AI solutions using NVIDIA’s advanced computing technologies.
Vodafone Egypt plans to invest over $412 million (EGP 20 billion) this fiscal year, adding to its total investment of over $2.6 billion (EGP 125 billion) in 28 years. They serve over 55 million customers with a team of 10,000 employees and were the first in the country to introduce a mobile wallet, Vodafone Cash, which is now used by more than 20 million people in Egypt.
“For Cassava, contributing to building Egypt’s AI ecosystem is an act of empowerment, not just a technological milestone. We are ensuring that African businesses aren’t just consumers of global tech, they are the architects of it,” said Ahmed El Beheiry, group chief technology and AI officer at Cassava and CEO of Cassava AI.
Cassava Technologies is headquartered in the UK with operations across Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and the US, delivering products and services in 94 countries through business units including Cassava AI, Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Liquid C2, Africa Data Centres, and Sasai FinTech.
Last month, Liquid Intelligent Technologies, a pan-African fibre and technology company, partnered with Taara, a wireless optical communication technology developed at X, Google’s moonshot factory.
Together, they have deployed nearly a dozen light-beam links to enhance high-capacity bandwidth from data centres to large enterprises throughout Lagos. This includes local internet service providers, banks, hotels, and a utility company.
Earlier this year, Liquid Intelligent Technologies also closed a $660 million debt financing round.
