TechPression

Tag: data center

  • Airtel Africa announces first Data Center in Lagos

    Airtel Africa announces first Data Center in Lagos

    Airtel Africa is taking a significant leap in Nigeria’s digital landscape by announcing the construction of its first-ever 34 Megawatts NXtra Data Center in Lagos. 

    This groundbreaking initiative is set to commence with a ceremonial event later this month, graced by prominent figures, including Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Ogun State Governor Prince Dapo Abiodun, and Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy Dr. Bosun Tijani.

    The Role of Data Centers in Nigeria’s Digital Economy 

    Data centers are the backbone of modern IT infrastructure, centralizing an organization’s IT operations and equipment for efficient data storage, processing, and distribution. With Nigeria’s data center market projected to hit $218 million by 2026, Airtel Africa’s investment is both timely and strategic.

    The NXtra data center is more than just a facility; it’s a milestone for Airtel Africa in its mission to bolster data sovereignty, security, and preservation across Africa. The center’s design boasts an impressive Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) score of 1.3 and will host high-density racks, setting a new standard for data centers on the continent.

    Read also: Airtel Africa introduces Nxtra data center in Africa 

    Expansion Across Africa

    As digital services continue to expand, the demand for robust data infrastructure grows. Airtel Africa’s data center aims to meet these needs, providing businesses, governments, and corporations with secure and accessible data management solutions.

    Airtel Africa isn’t stopping at Lagos. The company plans to construct business-agnostic data centers in major cities across all 14 countries of its operations, indicating a commitment to enhancing Africa’s digital infrastructure.

    Segun Ogunsanya, CEO of Airtel Africa, emphasizes the NXtra data center’s role in fostering business growth and driving prosperity throughout Africa. Carl Cruz, CEO of Airtel Nigeria, echoes this sentiment, highlighting the center’s potential to propel Lagos and Nigeria into a more sustainable and inclusive digital era.

    Economic Impacts and Job Creation 

    The rise of data centers in Nigeria is not just a technological advancement but an economic catalyst. Prof Umar Danbatta, former Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, points out the potential for job creation through the construction, operation, and maintenance of these facilities. Moreover, with more data centers emerging, Nigeria is poised to capture a significant portion of the global data center market.

    Danbatta also notes Nigeria’s attractive investment climate for data center services, thanks to a reliable and secure environment supported by a robust policy and regulatory framework. This positions Nigeria as an appealing destination for further investment in data center operations.

    A Strategic Move for Airtel Africa

     The decision to build the NXtra Data Center in Lagos is a strategic move by Airtel Africa. Lagos, being the commercial hub of Nigeria, offers the perfect ecosystem for such a high-calibre facility. The data center is expected to leverage the city’s vibrant economy and technological prowess to provide unparalleled data services.

    The NXtra Data Center is designed to be a marvel of modern engineering, with a focus on sustainability and efficiency. The 1.3 PUE score is a testament to the facility’s green credentials, ensuring that it operates at the highest standards of energy efficiency.

    A Commitment to Digital Sovereignty 

    Airtel Africa’s investment in the data center underscores its commitment to digital sovereignty. By housing critical data within the continent, Airtel Africa is taking a stand for the security and autonomy of Africa’s digital assets.

    The NXtra Data Center is set to become a cornerstone of digital services in Africa. It will not only cater to the immediate needs of businesses and governments but also lay the groundwork for future technological advancements and innovations.

    The data center is expected to act as a catalyst for economic growth, attracting international businesses and fostering local tech startups. This will contribute to a more diversified and resilient economy, aligned with Nigeria’s vision for a digital future.

    The inauguration of the NXtra Data Center marks the beginning of a new chapter in Nigeria’s journey towards becoming a leading digital economy. With this facility, Airtel Africa is not just building a data center; it’s building a legacy that will empower generations to come.

  • Renewable energy crucial for data center growth

    Renewable energy crucial for data center growth

    African and worldwide data center operators are relying more on renewable energy sources due to electricity shortages. Rob Saunders, CTO of Raxio Group, affirmed that the footprint of the African data center industry will go from 127MW to 267MW by 2027.

    He said that in order to meet the rising demand for electricity, there are a great number of facilities that are either in the process of being developed or will soon be designed. 

    These facilities will provide more ecologically friendly solutions and sustainable technology.

    The total installed power capacity across the continent is 232 gigatonnes, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), with renewable energy such as hydro, wind, and solar accounting for 22% of total installed capacity.

    According to Saunders’ explanation, “this growing trend of using sustainable energy can clearly be seen in the case of Ethiopia, which already receives 98% of its total power from renewables.” This is a clear example of the “clearly visible” case of “this growing trend of using sustainable energy.”

    Read also: Africa Data Centre Joins Force With IXPN Nigeria

    Data Center technology demands

    Over the last few years, the pan-African company that builds and runs data centers has made a lot of progress toward expanding its presence all over Africa.

    Raxio wants to keep building digital infrastructure in more African countries. In the next 12 to 18 months, it will have data centers up and running in Uganda, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Côte d’Ivoire, and Mozambique.

    Saunders noted that it is essential that we achieve this growth as sustainably as possible, and that investing in environmentally friendly initiatives plays a big part in achieving the sustainability objectives established for Raxio and our customers.

    Raxio has seen a rising demand for more environmentally friendly data centers all around the world. These data centers are becoming more and more prevalent in business, particularly in Africa.

    He went on to say that “environmentally friendly data centers support the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations by being more energy efficient and releasing a lot less CO2 and other greenhouse gases into the air.”

    African ambitions

    Saunders says that putting sustainability and, more specifically, renewable energy into projects for data centers is even more important for those who run data centers in Africa, where temperatures are higher and more cooling power is needed.

    We seek to achieve the maximum degree of uptime of this main source by picking sites that have redundant grid supply; preferably, two feeds from adjacent substations, he said. “The major source of power to all Raxio plants is renewable grid electricity.”

    It was explained that “we have an initiative through which we are introducing different renewable energy sources, like solar, to our projects, initially in Côte d’Ivoire and in other markets in due course.” Additionally, “we enter into long-term Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) with renewable energy providers to guarantee the supply of renewable energy to our data centers as much as possible,” he added.

    Saunders said that for Raxio to choose a location for a data center, the power source for the local substation must come from a renewable source.

    “Once we have secured renewable energy, then the next step in the process is optimizing the design, selecting the latest technology and most energy efficient equipment to reduce the losses and overall facility power demand,” he explained.

    He said energy-efficient equipment allows Raxio to operate its facilities at lower power usage effectiveness (PUE) and that in turn reduces total power consumption, which allows it to pass savings on to its customers.

    Saunders said there are three current trends in technologies that reduce power consumption for the data center market.

    “Energy-efficient equipment that can run well at part load; the use of AI to improve process efficiency and system optimization; and DCIM [data center infrastructure management] tools that can analyze power, cooling, and capacity planning to improve the performance of the facility.”

    Layer3 Warns Against Hosting Data Abroad

    Data Center growth

    Africa’s cloud computing and data center industries have been growing consistently in recent years, with global hyperscalers like Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure already running major data centers on the continent.

    Africa Data Centers also plans to build ten hyperscale data centers in ten countries over the next two years to meet the growing demand.