Cassava Technologies, the pan-African technology and telecoms infrastructure group, has launched Africa’s first artificial intelligence multi-model exchange, giving mobile network operators (MNOs) direct access to tools and large language models (LLMs) from global AI providers such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google.
The new platform, called the Cassava AI Multi-Model Exchange (CAIMEx), enables operators across the continent to connect to multiple AI systems through a single interface. This eliminates the need for costly infrastructure or complex integrations. Cassava said the system will be managed locally and hosted within regional data centers to ensure data sovereignty and compliance with African privacy regulations.
“With its growing AI ecosystem, Africa has the potential to be more than a consumer of technologies imported from elsewhere,” said Ahmed El Beheiry, CEO of Cassava AI. “Through CAIMEx, we’re building a bridge between global innovation and African ambition, giving every mobile operator the ability to offer world-class AI tools affordably.”
CAIMEx is designed to help telecom operators tap into frontier AI capabilities — including chatbots, predictive analytics, and automation without building their own data infrastructure. By providing access to multiple generative AI models, including Anthropic’s Claude and Google’s Gemini, the exchange allows operators to select the most suitable tools for their enterprise and consumer use cases.
The platform builds on Cassava’s wider strategy to strengthen Africa’s digital infrastructure and expand its participation in global technology value chains. In October, U.S. chipmaker NVIDIA made an undisclosed investment in Cassava to accelerate its operations across Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America, and to support the development of Africa’s first AI factory.
On Tuesday, Google announced a partnership with Cassava to integrate its Gemini AI tools into the CAIMEx ecosystem, offering eligible users data-free access and six months of Google AI Plus, which includes 200 gigabytes of cloud storage.
By combining these services, CAIMEx aims to help African operators deploy AI-powered customer support, fraud detection, and network optimization which are all hosted within Cassava’s regional AI factories that provide high-performance computing and local data processing.
Cassava said the exchange could transform how telcos deliver digital services, allowing them to build and train localized models that reflect African languages, contexts, and consumer needs.
The company operates across 94 markets through its subsidiaries, including Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Africa Data Centres, and Cassava AI, providing the underlying connectivity and infrastructure required for high-compute AI workloads.
By linking Africa’s telecom networks to global AI engines, Cassava is positioning itself as a central player in the continent’s emerging digital economy and a bridge between frontier AI research and local deployment.
“CAIMEx is more than a platform,” El Beheiry added. “It’s an ecosystem designed to ensure that Africa’s digital future is powered by African infrastructure, African data, and African innovation.”
