NAIROBI, July 17 – Schneider Electric says Africa’s push into artificial intelligence will depend as much on modern electricity grids as it does on new power generation.
The energy management and industrial automation company said many governments are focused on producing more electricity, but the bigger task is upgrading ageing power grids to support AI data centres, cloud computing, electric vehicles and renewable energy.
Schneider Electric’s East Africa President, Ifeanyi Odoh, said electricity systems built decades ago are no longer suited to today’s growing digital economy.
Africa currently has 360 megawatts of live data centre capacity spread across 217 facilities in 33 countries, representing less than 1% of global capacity. Schneider Electric said countries that modernise their power infrastructure early will be better placed to attract future AI investments.
The company said it already provides power infrastructure for more than 38% of Africa’s installed data centre capacity and about half of East Africa’s facilities.
According to Schneider, AI data centres place far greater pressure on electricity systems than traditional facilities. While a conventional server rack uses between 5 and 15 kilowatts of power, AI racks consume between 40 and 120 kilowatts, with newer systems expected to require even more.
Across Africa, countries are taking different approaches to meet that demand. South Africa has attracted more cloud investment following improvements in electricity supply, including Microsoft’s $300 million cloud infrastructure expansion announced in March 2025. Kenya is using its strong renewable energy base, especially geothermal power, to support AI projects, while Nigeria continues to rely on gas-powered and off-grid solutions because of limited grid capacity.
Schneider Electric said Africa’s ageing electricity infrastructure also presents an opportunity to build smarter grids that can better manage renewable energy, battery storage and rising digital demand.
The company added that it is expanding its local operations by designing and assembling more power systems on the continent to support Africa’s growing digital economy.
