Schneider Electric, a global leader in energy management and automation, has partnered with IXAfrica Data Centres to inaugurate East Africa’s first and largest hyper cloud data centre, dubbed ‘NBOX1’. This state-of-the-art Tier 3+ facility is built around Schneider Electric’s medium and low voltage switchgear to ensure reliable and stable cloud services, powered sustainably by Kenya’s grid.
NBOX1, now open for business, operates as a carrier-neutral, AI-ready data centre, setting a new standard for cloud, colocation, and connectivity in East Africa. It aims to attract hyperscale and internet customers to the region, offering a user experience on par with facilities in North America and Western Europe. The launch is underpinned by Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure for Data Centers architecture, which provides maximum resilience, uptime, cost efficiency, enhanced security, and supports IXAfrica’s sustainability goals.
Located in the ‘Digital Savannah’, a burgeoning technology hub, NBOX1 benefits from a $50 million investment from Helios. The data centre serves a population of over 300 million and fosters an innovation ecosystem that includes a skilled workforce, cloud and content providers, and colocation and connectivity services.
Snehar Shah, CEO of IXAfrica, highlighted Kenya’s readiness for hyper cloud adoption, citing the region’s advanced digital ecosystem, diverse internet fibre connectivity, and sustainable power sources. The country’s stable regulatory and political environment, combined with a strong economy projected to grow by 5.2% in 2024, further supports this development.
A critical aspect of NBOX1 is its 99.999% uptime guarantee, essential for dependable IT operations. Schneider Electric’s power train solution, including power protection and distribution equipment, transformers, and a basic Building Management System (BMS), ensures power quality and reliability. The solution, designed in collaboration with local consultants Prisma Techniques and FutureTech, meets IEC standards and addresses Kenya’s grid and environmental challenges.
Components of the installed EcoStruxure for Data Centers platform, such as the Galaxy VX modular 3-phase UPS with lithium-ion batteries, Power Distribution Units (PDUs), and LV and MV switchgear, ensure N+1 redundancy and a 1.25 Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) across the campus. Ifeanyi Odoh, Schneider Electric’s Country President in East Africa, emphasized that these solutions meet IXAfrica’s immediate and long-term objectives, providing stability despite the intermittency of renewable power sources.
Kenya is a hyper cloud-ready region with advanced cloud adoption propensities, a digitally savvy ecosystem, access to diverse internet fibre connectivity, high-availability and low-carbon sources of power. This all sits within a country offering a stable regulatory and political environment, and a strong economy forecast to grow 5.2% in 2024.
Snehar Shah, CEO, IXAfrica
We believe that sustainable practices are essential for the future of data centres, and we are proud to partner with organizations like IXAfrica to create environmentally conscious and innovative digital habitats for the evolving technological landscape.
Mouna Essa Egh, Secure Power Vice President for Middle East & Africa
We have a very strategic relationship with Schneider Electric – in fact, our new Nairobi campus site is built on land formerly part of Schneider’s complex, and the power engineering for the site was designed by Schneider’s local partners. NBOX1 is sustainable by design, and our goal is to ‘Keep it Africa’ – our switchgear and panel ware were all manufactured by Schneider Electric on our own doorstep.
We’re delighted to partner with Schneider Electric, a company that not only shares our ethos and passion for the environment but is also committed to ensuring that IXAfrica and its clients meet their operational and sustainability goals.
Snehar Shah, CEO, IXAfrica
