Econet InfraCo, the tower infrastructure subsidiary of Econet Wireless Zimbabwe, has cut diesel costs by 30% using an artificial intelligence (AI) platform developed with sister company Cassava Compute.
The company says the AI Fuel Mode solution is the first of its kind deployed by a tower operator globally, using AI to optimise generator use and reduce fuel consumption.
“By using AI to analyse how and when each diesel generator is deployed, we have developed a fuel management system that has reduced our diesel costs by 30%,” Econet InfraCo Chairman Godfrey Gomwe said in a statement accompanying the company’s latest half-year results.
The savings come as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East put pressure on diesel prices, raising costs for businesses that depend on generators for reliable power.
Developed using Cassava Compute’s NVIDIA-powered AI infrastructure in Cape Town, South Africa, the platform analyses generator usage patterns to help determine when generators should operate, reducing unnecessary fuel consumption.
Econet InfraCo estimates that more than 500,000 generators support mobile network operations across Africa, where unreliable grid electricity makes diesel a major operating expense for telecommunications tower operators.
Cassava AI plans to make the platform available to other operators, with potential applications in sectors such as mining and manufacturing.
The initiative is part of a wider effort to use AI to improve energy efficiency. Working with NVIDIA, Cassava AI is also deploying an AI Energy Mode platform to help Econet Wireless optimise electricity consumption across its mobile network.
Both platforms are expected to increase demand for GPU computing capacity at Cassava’s AI factory, highlighting the growing role of AI in reducing operating costs and improving energy management.
