President William Ruto Wednesday witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Kenya and the United Arab Emirates that will see the development in the country of the first-ever data center powered by geothermal energy.
The agreement between Kenya’s EcoCloud and UAE’s G42 will see the construction of a 1GW mega data center, thus propelling Kenya’s digital economy to greater heights.
“By harnessing geothermal energy, we are not only meeting the region’s data needs but also setting a new standard for eco-friendly infrastructure,” said Amos Siwoi, CEO of EcoCloud.
The collaboration between Kenya's EcoCloud and the UAE's G42 to construct a data centre will catalyse Kenya’s emergence as a global digital hub. The first-ever data centre powered by geothermal energy, establishes a new benchmark for eco-friendly infrastructure and positions… pic.twitter.com/0kr3ivNPsf
— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) March 6, 2024
UAE Ambassador to Kenya Salim Ibrahim Binahmed Mohamed Alnaqbi also witnessed the signing ceremony at State House, Nairobi.
“This geothermal-powered data center is a milestone towards realizing Kenya’s potential as a global digital hub and fulfilling our mission of making intelligence accessible to everyone, everywhere,” said Peng Xiao, Group CEO of G24.
EcoCloud is a leading provider of data center solutions, while G42 is a global leader in creating visionary artificial intelligence.
The project hopes to use Kenya’s vast untapped geothermal potential by putting up an initial 100MW facility, which will be scaled up over the years.
At full capacity, the facility will reduce Kenya’s dependency on fossil fuels, cut carbon emissions, and contribute towards environmental conservation.
