advertisement
Vodafone, Cassava Launch Egypt’s First AI Factory
Vodafone Business and Cassava Technologies have partnered to develop Egypt’s first AI factory, creating sovereign AI infrastructure designed to enable local organisations to host, process and operate artificial intelligence applications within the country.
The partnership will combine Vodafone Egypt’s enterprise capabilities with Cassava Technologies’ NVIDIA-powered cloud infrastructure to support government entities, businesses and other organisations seeking access to accelerated computing while keeping data within Egypt.
Cassava Technologies is Africa’s first NVIDIA cloud partner. The collaboration will provide access to NVIDIA AI infrastructure through Vodafone Business, including GPU-as-a-Service, enabling organisations to deploy AI workloads for model training and inference at scale.
advertisement
The companies said the initiative is intended to strengthen Egypt’s digital sovereignty, improve data protection and cybersecurity, and position the country as a regional hub for AI and advanced technology.
Mahmoud El-Khatib, Vice President of Enterprise Business at Vodafone Egypt, said the partnership would strengthen the country’s AI infrastructure while supporting local data residency.
“Our partnership with Cassava Technologies marks a pivotal step in Vodafone Egypt’s technology journey and reflects our continued commitment to investing in digital infrastructure that enhances Egypt’s readiness for advanced technologies.”
advertisement
El-Khatib said the AI factory would provide organisations with access to advanced computing through GPU-as-a-Service, helping accelerate the adoption of AI while supporting Egypt’s digital economy and attracting investment in advanced technologies.
Ahmed El Beheiry, Group Chief Technology & AI Officer and CEO of Cassava AI, said the partnership was aimed at enabling African businesses to move beyond being consumers of global technology.
“For Cassava, contributing to building Egypt’s AI ecosystem is an act of empowerment, not just a technological milestone.”
advertisement
He said the infrastructure would give Egyptian organisations the capacity to participate in global AI innovation while maintaining control over their data and technology environment.
The AI factory will provide a full-stack infrastructure environment for organisations and government agencies to develop and operate AI applications locally. It will support local data hosting and processing while helping organisations meet regulatory and data residency requirements.
The companies said the infrastructure could also help organisations strengthen cybersecurity, improve control over sensitive data and develop more efficient AI-powered products and services.
The initiative comes as governments and businesses increasingly seek alternatives that complement conventional public cloud infrastructure with sovereign computing and AI-optimised cloud services.
Demand for accelerated computing has grown alongside the expansion of generative AI and other advanced AI applications, with GPUs providing the processing capacity required for large-scale model training and inference.
Beyond infrastructure, the partnership will provide access to training and enablement programmes within the NVIDIA ecosystem. The programmes are expected to help organisations develop AI skills and deploy, operate and manage AI solutions.
Vodafone Egypt and Cassava Technologies said the initiative could also support the development of Egypt’s broader AI ecosystem by attracting investment in advanced data centres and AI infrastructure and creating opportunities in technology and innovation.
The AI factory forms part of Vodafone Egypt’s wider investment programme in the country. The company plans to invest more than $385 million during the current fiscal year, building on investments exceeding $2.4 billion over 28 years, according to the company.
The partnership is expected to contribute to Egypt’s ambition of developing a stronger digital economy while establishing infrastructure capable of supporting the country’s growing demand for AI and advanced computing.