Safaricom has announced a strategic partnership with iXAfrica Data Centre to deliver East Africa’s first AI-ready data center services.
The partnership brings together Safaricom’s enterprise and cloud expertise with iXAfrica’s purpose-built, hyperscale-ready data infrastructure to provide businesses and government institutions with secure, scalable, and cost-effective solutions for hosting and managing data, locally.
This collaboration is designed to meet the growing demand for AI-powered services. The offering gives enterprise clients the ability to host AI-intensive workloads, perform high-performance computing, and ensure data sovereignty without needing to route sensitive information abroad.
“As East Africa’s digital economy continues its rapid expansion, businesses increasingly require robust, scalable, and secure infrastructure that can support the next wave of innovation, including AI,” said Dr. Peter Ndegwa, CEO of Safaricom PLC. “Through this partnership, we are enhancing our enterprise portfolio with premium data center services that meet the highest global standards.”
See: iXAfrica Opens East Africa’s Largest Hyperscale Data Centre in Nairobi
This AI-ready infrastructure is housed at iXAfrica’s NBOX1 Nairobi Campus, which has a capacity of 22.5 MW, the largest data center project in Greater East Africa. It is located along key fiber optic routes and is powered by Kenya’s low-carbon electricity grid. This facility is designed to handle the demands of modern digital businesses.
This is what it offers:
- High-density computing for AI and cloud workloads
- End-to-end enterprise solutions under a single contract
- Secure data storage and backup
- Integrated cloud, cybersecurity, and managed services
- Compliance-ready infrastructure for sensitive industries
For sectors like financial services, this opens the door to fraud detection, credit risk modeling, and hyper-personalized digital experiences. In retail and manufacturing, local AI workloads can now support IoT analytics, inventory forecasting, and supply chain optimization. All this is done while keeping data within Kenya.
“This collaboration represents a perfect synergy between technological excellence and market leadership,” said Guy Willner, Chairman of iXAfrica. “Together, we’re creating a digital ecosystem that will accelerate innovation and growth across the region.”
Also Read: Safaricom Completes First Phase of Construction for Tier 3 Data Centre in Limuru
