N+ONE DATACENTERS (N+ONE), an African data center owner and operator, and African infrastructure private equity manager, African Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM), are partnering up to build a new Pan-African data center and cloud services platform with an initial target capacity of 40 MW.
African Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM) is providing an initial USD 90 million of growth equity via its newest pan-African infrastructure fund, African Infrastructure Investment Fund 4. N+ONE will provide its current market-leading portfolio of digital infrastructure assets and extended products in Morocco.
The platform will cater to business, government, and hyperscale clients all across the continent by concentrating on the construction of carrier-neutral hyperscale and wholesale facilities. The collaboration with AIIM allows N+ONE to extend its current campuses in Morocco and Senegal while also building new hyperscale sites in response to client demand.
Key factors in the formation of the alliance included AIIM’s extensive infrastructure investment track record in Africa, with multiple digital infrastructure investments across the telecommunications towers, data centre, and fibre sub-sectors, and an active asset management strategy to support high-performing management teams.
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Strengthens its role as a key driving force
The rollout of the platform and the building of greenfield data centre infrastructure throughout West Africa will be supported by the $90 million growth equity commitment via AIIM’s next generation infrastructure fund, AIIF4. The investment will be used to expand AIIM’s existing digital infrastructure assets and hasten the continent’s digitalization.
Currently, South Africa accounts for the vast bulk of Africa’s more than 300MW of IT installed load. The onshoring of data into the continent is inevitable given the exponential expansion in data output and consumption, as well as the rising emphasis on data sovereignty. A substantial investment will be required to meet the rising need for data centers, which is predicted to exceed 1GW by 2030, thereby supporting the continent’s digital economy’s growth potential.
N+ONE acknowledges the critical importance of digital infrastructure in facilitating digital transformation, encouraging innovation, and fueling economic expansion. N+ONE’s goal is to strengthen its role as the key driving force in shaping Africa’s digital future by leveraging its in-depth knowledge of the African market.
Bolstering the growth of indigenous enterprises
Amine Kandil, CEO and Founder of N+ONE, said, “We are thrilled to introduce our collaboration to the African market.” “Our vison is to deliver regionally interconnected hyperscale data centers, built and operated to highest industry standards. This launch is a big step towards fulfilling that dream.
Investment Director at AIIM Moritz Breickmann said, “N+ONE is an exciting success story having built market-leading facilities in Morocco and demonstrating its ability to meet customer needs with its comprehensive portfolio of products and services.” “With this partnership, we are seeking to replicate N+ONE’s success in new markets by building a pan-African data center platform that provides customers with trusted solutions across several countries and addresses the increasing demand for data storage and processing on the continent.”
The goal of the combined platform is to close the digital infrastructure gap in Africa by bolstering the growth of indigenous enterprises and facilitating the spread of multinational corporations throughout the continent. The efforts of AIIM and N+ONE to close Africa’s digital divide are indicative of their determination to help Africa realize its full digital economic potential.
This is the sixth investment from AIIM’s AIIF4 fund, which is a theme investor looking for development prospects in the areas of digital infrastructure, energy transformation, and mobility and logistics.
