East Africa’s Largest Data Centre Takes Shape at Tatu City

Last Updated 7 days ago by Kenya Engineer

Construction is underway on what is set to become East Africa’s largest data centre, a landmark digital infrastructure project that will significantly strengthen Kenya’s position as a regional technology and connectivity hub.

The multi-million-dollar facility is being developed at Tatu City Special Economic Zone, on the outskirts of Nairobi, by Nxtra, the data centre arm of Airtel Africa. Once completed, the facility will deliver an installed capacity of 44 megawatts, making it the largest of its kind in the region.

Designed to support cloud computing, artificial intelligence workloads, hyperscale enterprise services, and data-intensive applications, the data centre is expected to play a critical role in meeting the rapidly growing demand for secure, high-capacity digital infrastructure across East and Central Africa. The project is scheduled to enter service in the first quarter of 2027.

Strengthening Kenya’s Digital Backbone

The new data centre represents a major investment in Kenya’s digital ecosystem. As businesses, governments, and service providers increasingly rely on data-driven systems, local access to high-quality data centre infrastructure becomes essential. By hosting computing and storage capacity closer to end users, the facility will improve latency, reliability, and data sovereignty, while supporting the expansion of broadband connectivity and digital services.

The project is also expected to catalyse growth in adjacent sectors, including fintech, e-commerce, health technology, research, and smart manufacturing, reinforcing Kenya’s role as a continental gateway for digital services.

Built for Scale, Resilience, and Sustainability

A defining feature of the development is its emphasis on resilience and sustainability. Located within Tatu City, the data centre will benefit from an energy mix that is more than 95 per cent renewable, positioning it among the most sustainable data centre locations globally. This aligns with growing pressure on the sector to reduce carbon intensity while supporting exponential growth in computing demand.

The facility is being delivered to international standards, with design and engineering inputs from global and regional specialists to ensure it meets the stringent operational, security, and uptime requirements expected of enterprise-grade and hyperscale data centres.

A Signal of Growing Regional Confidence

The scale of the project reflects rising investor confidence in East Africa as a viable destination for large-scale digital infrastructure. Data centres are increasingly seen as foundational infrastructure, comparable to power plants, ports, and transport corridors, enabling economic activity across multiple sectors.

As more global and African technology firms look to expand their footprint on the continent, developments of this nature are expected to accelerate, placing greater demands on local engineering expertise in power, cooling, civil works, ICT systems, and sustainability design.

Engineering at the Core

While international firms are involved in the project’s delivery, local engineering and planning expertise is playing an important role in adapting global best practices to regional conditions. This collaboration underscores the growing maturity of East Africa’s built environment and engineering sectors in handling highly specialised, technically complex developments.

When operational, the Tatu City data centre will not only be a critical piece of infrastructure but also a benchmark for future developments across the continent—demonstrating how scale, sustainability, and strategic planning can converge to support Africa’s digital future.