Author: Akin Naphtal

Open Access Data Centres (OADC), a subsidiary of the WIOCC Group, has announced plans to expand its Lagos data center to 24 megawatts by 2027, a project estimated to cost $240 million. The expansion is part of a broader $500 million investment plan, first unveiled in 2021, to develop data centre infrastructure across Africa. Located in Lekki, OADC’s Lagos facility serves as the landing station for Google’s Equiano subsea cable in Nigeria. The data center, which became operational two months ago, is currently running at 1.5 megawatts of its planned capacity. The company plans to complete the expansion in phases,…

At the core of Dar es Salaam, a new chapter in Tanzania’s digital development is emerging. Wing Africa, a leader in the continent’s digital transformation, has unveiled the second phase of its state-of-the-art data centre—an ambitious $50 million investment poised to reshape the nation’s technological landscape. At the launch ceremony held in the bustling Mbezi Industrial Area, Wing Africa CEO Anton Volianskyi emphasized the facility’s strategic importance in meeting Africa’s growing demand for advanced data processing and cloud services. The new Tier 3 data center, now the most connected in Tanzania, links with 13 operators and is designed to deliver…

Google’s newly established cloud region in Johannesburg represents an R2.5-billion ($137m+) investment into South Africa, marking a significant milestone in the continent’s digital and technological landscape. The scale of the investment was highlighted by South African data management and analytics company Tregter, which praised the development as a transformative leap for both South Africa and the wider African continent. “This infrastructure investment marks a giant step forward in business and technology transformation, not only for South Africa but for the entire continent,” said Ferdinand Steenkamp, Tregter’s co-founder. “With this new cloud region, Africa now has access to the best data…

Verizon has introduced Verizon Business Assistant, an AI-powered text messaging tool designed to help small businesses automate customer interactions and enhance customer engagement. The new tool provides instant responses to common customer queries, learns from interactions over time, and seamlessly connects customers to a live employee when necessary. Verizon says the tool aims to deliver faster, more efficient customer service while reducing the need for human involvement. Key features of Verizon Business Assistant include: -Automated responses to frequently asked questions-Live employee handoff for complex inquiries-Continuous learning to improve accuracy over time-Support for both SMS and MMS messagingAn insights dashboard to…

Meta, in partnership with Data Science Africa, has introduced the Llama Impact Grant, a new initiative aimed at supporting startups and researchers across Sub-Saharan Africa. The grant, part of Meta’s global Llama Impact Grants program, will provide $20,000 to fund projects that leverage Llama, Meta’s open-source large language model (LLM), to tackle the region’s unique social and economic challenges. The initiative underscores Meta’s commitment to advancing Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a tool for driving innovation, economic growth, and scientific breakthroughs in sectors like healthcare, agriculture, and education. Empowering African InnovationBalkissa Ide Siddo, Meta’s Public Policy Director for sub-Saharan Africa, highlighted…

Oracle has announced a $5 billion investment over the next five years to expand its cloud infrastructure in the United Kingdom, supporting the government’s ambitions for AI-driven growth and digital transformation. The investment aims to provide businesses and public services with access to advanced AI, multi-cloud, and sovereign cloud solutions, fostering innovation across key sectors such as healthcare, finance, defence, retail, and manufacturing. Peter Kyle MP, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, welcomed the move, describing it as a significant boost to the UK’s leadership in artificial intelligence. “The UK is determined to lead the world in AI…

Vertiv has launched the CoolLoop Trim Cooler, a new cooling solution designed to enhance air and liquid cooling applications for AI and high-performance computing (HPC) data centers. The CoolLoop Trim Cooler supports hybrid-cooled and liquid-cooled environments, offering advanced thermal management in diverse climate conditions. According to Vertiv, the new system can deliver up to a 70% reduction in annual cooling energy consumption through a combination of free-cooling and mechanical operation, while providing 40% space savings compared to traditional cooling systems. With cooling capacities of 2.6MW and 3MW in air-cooled configurations, the unit can manage fluctuating supply water temperatures up to…

In a strategic move to enhance global satellite connectivity, Orange has announced a commercial partnership with Telesat, a leading satellite operator, to leverage Telesat’s advanced Lightspeed Low Earth Orbit (LEO) network. Under the agreement, Orange will host a Telesat Lightspeed Landing Station at its Bercenay-en-Othe teleport in France. This station will connect to a point of presence (PoP) in Paris via the Orange Wholesale International Private Line (IPL). The telecom giant has also signed a capacity commitment for Telesat Lightspeed’s LEO services, which will be integrated into Orange’s global portfolio for businesses and telecom operators. Expanding Connectivity and Network ResilienceThe…

Samsung Electronics has announced a strategic partnership with Nvidia to accelerate the development of AI-powered Radio Access Network (AI-RAN) technologies, aiming to diversify computing platforms and drive the adoption of artificial intelligence in mobile networks. The collaboration, revealed in a recent announcement by Samsung, builds on successful interoperability tests conducted late last year at Samsung Research’s lab. The tests integrated Samsung’s Open RAN-compliant virtualized RAN (vRAN) with Nvidia’s accelerated computing platform, paving the way for seamless AI deployment in software-based networks. According to Samsung, the companies have successfully demonstrated a proof-of-concept that verifies how Nvidia’s accelerated computing can be integrated…

Accelera Digital Group (ADG) has appointed Niral Patel as its new Group CEO, marking a strategic leadership shift aimed at driving the company’s global expansion. Patel, a seasoned executive with over 20 years of experience in the technology sector, assumes the role effective immediately. The announcement, made today by ADG, confirms that Patel will be based in Nairobi as he spearheads the company’s growth across Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. His mandate includes scaling business operations, forging strategic partnerships, and accelerating digital transformation initiatives. “As CEO, Niral will focus on scaling ADG’s operations, strengthening key alliances, and driving business…