As the adoption of artificial intelligence accelerates around the world, a startup founded in South Africa is trying to make AI infrastructure more affordable, accessible and sustainable.
Supascale AI has officially launched its Cloud AI Marketplace, a platform that enables businesses, developers, and creators to access leading-edge AI models at significantly lower costs, while allowing GPU owners to monetize unused computing power. The company claims to offer the world's fastest GPU onboarding process, making it easier than ever for individuals and organizations to contribute idle computing resources to the growing AI economy.
This launch comes at a time when demand for AI computing power is increasing globally. Traditional AI data centers are facing increasing scrutiny over their environmental impact, including high power consumption, water use for cooling, and noise pollution. Supascale AI aims to provide a greener alternative by taking advantage of underutilized GPUs found in laptops, personal computers, and existing data centers.
By harnessing distributed computing resources, the platform creates the opportunity for everyday users to participate in the AI boom while helping to reduce the need for additional energy-intensive infrastructure.
Building an Inclusive AI Economy
SupaScale AI was founded by Aaron Borneman, who developed the initial concept of the platform in 2025. He later brought on longtime friend Bongani Duma and cousin Clayton Borneman as co-founders, creating a leadership team with expertise in engineering, cloud infrastructure, and international business development.
“The AI economy needs to be accessible to everyone, not just big hyperscalers,” said Aaron Borneman, founder and CEO of Supascale AI. “We are building the infrastructure that allows businesses, developers, creators, and innovators to access world-class AI capabilities, while enabling everyday GPU owners to directly participate in the AI economy.”
The company's vision is focused on democratizing access to AI infrastructure, a market traditionally dominated by large cloud providers and technology giants.
Experienced Leadership Team
Aaron Borneman serves as the Founder and CEO of Supascale AI. Bornemann, an Embedded AI Innovation Engineer and BEng Mechatronics Engineering graduate from the University of Pretoria, previously founded 123Tutors while still a university student. The platform impacted over 10,000 students and teachers across South Africa, and was recognized as AfricaArena's Most Innovative Startup in Africa in 2021. He also participated in the Grindstone Accelerator program in 2022.
Clayton Borneman, co-founder and chief marketing officer, relocated from Canada to South Africa to help grow the business. Previously working as a Sales Manager at TELUS, one of Canada's largest telecommunications providers, he brings extensive market expertise and experience leading revenue-generating teams.
Meanwhile, co-founder and chief technology officer Bongani Duma contributes significant enterprise infrastructure expertise. A senior cloud engineer with experience in the South African banking sector, Duma has played a key role in ensuring that the platform is secure, reliable and designed for scalable AI workloads.
Positioning Africa in the global AI landscape
In addition to building a commercial platform, Supascale AI aims to position Africa as an active participant in the global AI economy.
The company believes that distributed AI infrastructure can unlock opportunities for businesses and individuals who might otherwise face barriers to accessing advanced AI technologies. By combining affordability, sustainability and accessibility, Supascale AI hopes to create a model that will benefit both AI users and GPU owners while supporting broader digital innovation.
//staff Writer