AI Boom Sparks Billion-Dollar Data Center Race in Nigeria

Nigeria is drawing millions of dollars into new data centers, propelled by the voracious online habits of its young, tech-savvy population and a push to harness artificial intelligence to power the next wave of its digital boom, reinforcing its position as one of Africa’s top technology hubs.

Global and regional operators — including Equinix Inc., Microsoft Corp., MTN Nigeria Communications Plc, Rack Centre, Airtel Nigeria and Open Access Data Centres — are investing nearly $1 billion in next-generation facilities designed to handle advanced computing workloads and serve the continent’s rapidly expanding online population.

Rack Centre in April unveiled its LGS2 data center, with an IT load capacity of 12 megawatts.

Source: Rack Centre

“Over the ...