iXAfrica Data Centre Limited will host Oracle Cloud Infrastructure’s (OCI) public cloud region in Nairobi, marking a major milestone in Kenya’s push to position itself as a regional digital and cloud services hub.
The collaboration will see iXAfrica serve as Oracle’s colocation and host partner for the OCI region, which was first announced by President William Ruto in January 2024. The Nairobi cloud region is expected to meet rising demand for cloud computing, data sovereignty, and AI-ready infrastructure across Kenya and the wider East and Central Africa region.
Oracle’s decision to select iXAfrica reflects the facility’s readiness to support hyperscale public cloud deployments, with construction, power, and connectivity infrastructure already at advanced stages.
Strategic boost for Kenya’s cloud ecosystem
iXAfrica operates East and Central Africa’s largest hyperscale, carrier-neutral, AI-ready data centre campus. Purpose-built to global cloud standards, the facility offers high-density compute capacity, resilient power architecture, and direct access to submarine cable systems and national fibre networks.
This combination positions iXAfrica as the only execution-ready hyperscale data centre in Kenya capable of supporting immediate public cloud deployment at scale.
“We are delighted to be in execution mode to bring OCI to Kenya,” said iXAfrica Chief Executive Officer Snehar Shah. He noted that the collaboration leverages Kenya’s renewable energy mix, skilled digital talent, and extensive connectivity infrastructure to anchor world-class cloud services locally.
Hosting OCI within Kenya will allow enterprises, government agencies, and developers to deploy latency-sensitive workloads, comply with data residency requirements, and accelerate the rollout of AI-powered and mission-critical applications.
Supporting digital sovereignty and AI growth
The establishment of a local OCI region is expected to strengthen Kenya’s digital sovereignty, reduce reliance on offshore cloud regions, and improve service performance for businesses operating in finance, telecoms, e-commerce, health, and public services.
Oracle said demand for secure and scalable cloud infrastructure continues to grow as organizations modernize operations and adopt data-intensive technologies.
“Around the world, governments and enterprises rely on OCI for its security, scalability, and ability to run mission-critical workloads,” said David Bunei, Oracle’s country leader for Kenya. He added that the collaboration with iXAfrica would further support the growth of Kenya’s digital economy.
Hyperscale readiness and renewable power
iXAfrica’s Nairobi campus has a 22-megawatt capacity, with the ability to support high-density AI workloads of up to 50 kilowatts per rack using free-air cooling technology. More than 90 percent of Kenya’s electricity is generated from renewable sources, aligning the data centre with global sustainability requirements for hyperscale cloud providers.
With power, cooling, and connectivity infrastructure already in place, iXAfrica says it is operating in full execution mode to support global cloud platforms seeking rapid market entry.
The collaboration is expected to enhance Kenya’s competitiveness as a regional cloud, AI, and digital services hub, while attracting further investment into data centres, connectivity, and digital skills.
