IXAfrica and Schneider Electric have partnered to launch a hyper-scale data centre in Kenya. The new facility, NBOX1, is a Tier 3+ carrier-neutral data centre.
It will support advanced AI applications. The centre is called “the largest and most advanced digital habitat for cloud, colocation, and connectivity in East Africa.”
The infrastructure relies on Schneider Electric MV and LV switchgear for stable and reliable cloud services. Kenya’s renewable grid powers this infrastructure.
According to Ifeanyi Odoh, Schneider Electric’s Country President in East Africa, the solutions support N+1 redundancy with four independent power trains.
“Schneider Electric engineered the solutions to support N+1 redundancy with four independent power trains. These solutions meet IXAfrica’s immediate and long-term objectives, including a 1.25 PUE design across the campus and a 99.999% uptime guarantee.”
Snehar Shah, CEO of IXAfrica, praised Kenya’s readiness for hyper-cloud due to advanced cloud adoption and a digitally savvy ecosystem.
The country offers diverse internet fibre connectivity and reliable low-carbon power sources. Shah also mentioned Kenya’s stable regulatory and political environment. The economy is expected to grow by 5.2% in 2024.
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Expansion and Future Prospects
IXAfrica has been expanding its presence in Kenya’s infrastructure market. The Nairobi Campus One has been under development since early 2021.
Helios backed this development with a $50 million investment. In August 2023, IXAfrica acquired 11 acres of land from Tilisi Developments to build a second data centre in Nairobi.
The African data centre sector is booming, with Kenya, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, and South Africa leading. Analysts project that the Kenyan data centre market will grow from $227 million in 2023 to $440 million by 2029, with a CAGR of 11.66%.
In May 2024, Microsoft and G42, an AI firm from the UAE, announced $1 billion in digital investments in Kenya. G42 plans to collaborate with local partners to build a data centre campus. This campus will use renewable geothermal energy and water conservation technology.