Kenya’s reputation as Africa’s “Silicon Savannah” just gained a major boost. iX Africa Data Centres has officially opened the first phase of a 4.5-megawatt hyperscale data centre in Nairobi – a milestone in the country’s journey to becoming the continent’s leading digital hub. The state-of-the-art facility, called NBOX1, is poised to expand cloud services, artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, and connectivity for East Africa, affirming Kenya’s status as a rising technology powerhouse. This development follows similar initiatives such as AWS expanding services in Kenya and Microsoft’s major cloud investment in the country.
A New Hyperscale Facility Powers East Africa’s Digital Growth
The newly launched NBOX1 data centre packs 4.5 MW (megawatts) of IT power and houses 780 server racks. In practical terms, this means it can support thousands of servers and intensive computing workloads, making it the largest hyperscale data centre in East Africa. Hyperscale refers to an installation built for massive scale and efficiency – the kind used by cloud giants – and NBOX1 is designed to meet that standard. The facility is also carrier-neutral, meaning it isn’t tied to a single telecom provider and instead offers connectivity through multiple networks for maximum redundancy and reach.
Furthermore, it’s billed as “AI-ready,” equipped to handle the high power and cooling demands of modern AI and machine learning applications. NBOX1 is part of a larger 22.5 MW campus along Nairobi’s Mombasa Road.
“We are proud to unveil the first phase of our hyperscale data centre, which is ready to host the first hyperscale developments in the region as well as key public sector workloads in the EAC region to contribute significantly to the digitalisation of services and cloud adoption in our country,” said Snehar Shah, CEO of iX Africa Data Centres.
Kenya’s Rise as a Leading African Tech Hub
The launch of NBOX1 comes at a time when Kenya is rapidly solidifying its role as a regional tech hub. During a tour of the new facility, John Mwendwa, CEO of the Kenya Investment Authority (KenInvest), highlighted iX Africa’s contribution to strengthening Kenya’s data sovereignty, accelerating digital transformation, and driving cloud adoption.
Mwendwa remarked that “Kenya is on the brink of a digital revolution, and investments like iX Africa’s hyperscale data centre are pivotal in positioning the country as a premier technology and innovation hub.”
Kenya’s tech ecosystem has been surging, attracting more startup and venture funding than any other in Africa – securing $638 million in 2024, the highest on the continent and ahead of Nigeria’s $410 million.
Boosting Cloud, AI, and Connectivity in East Africa
With iX Africa’s new facility online, the impact on cloud computing and connectivity in East Africa is expected to be significant. The NBOX1 data centre is carrier-neutral and cloud-friendly, allowing any international or local operator to plug in and deliver services. This opens the door for global cloud providers and content delivery networks to establish a local presence in Kenya, reducing the need for data to travel to Europe or Asia and thus improving speeds and reducing latency for end-users across the region.
Importantly, the centre is built to handle AI workloads. East African startups and researchers working on AI and machine learning can now leverage local infrastructure that supports high-density computing (such as GPU clusters) without having to rely exclusively on foreign data centers. This could accelerate developments in areas like fintech AI, agricultural tech, and health tech.
Connectivity within Kenya is also receiving a boost. The Kenya Internet Exchange Point (KIXP) has already established a new peering hub at the NBOX1 facility, which means local internet traffic can be exchanged more efficiently between networks right at the data centre.
Big Investments and Bold Plans for the Future
The development of NBOX1 has been backed by significant investment. In December 2022, private equity firm Helios Investment Partners put in an initial $50 million of growth capital to finance iX Africa’s Nairobi campus. iX Africa plans to quickly follow up with NBOX1.2 – an 18 MW IT power facility on the same campus, more than quadrupling the current capacity. Beyond that, iX Africa has secured land in Tilisi (just outside Nairobi) to develop a second campus, dubbed NBOX2, which will add a whopping 53 MW of capacity on an 11-acre site.
Government officials have welcomed iX Africa’s initiative, seeing it as aligned with Kenya’s economic goals.
“The government is committed to supporting investments that drive digital transformation and economic growth,” Mwendwa affirmed during the launch.
With greater cloud adoption, AI solutions, and connectivity across the region, iX Africa’s NBOX1 launch signals Kenya’s emergence as a premier digital hub in Africa.
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