Morocco is emerging as one of Africa’s most ambitious data center hubs, targeting nearly 2 gigawatts (GW) of installed capacity, a footprint that would significantly outpace the continent’s current leading markets.
While the country’s domestic demand for cloud and AI computing remains modest, Morocco is positioning itself as a nearshore hub for European workloads, leveraging geography, infrastructure, and strategic private investment.
Several high-profile projects are anchoring Morocco’s push. Texas-based Iozera is investing $500 million in a 386 MW facility in Tetouan, while South Korea’s Naver has unveiled a 500 MW project at the same site, partnering with Nvidia and drawing power from renewable assets linked to Morocco’s state energy agency.
Strive Masiyiwa’s Cassava Technologies is also exploring Morocco as part of its Africa-wide “AI factory” rollout. Collectively, these projects reflect a strategic focus on high-capacity, export-oriented data centers rather than local consumption.
Morocco’s location, just 15 km from Europe and connected via multiple submarine cables offers a low-latency, cost-efficient alternative for European AI and cloud workloads.
This nearshore advantage allows companies to run compute-intensive applications closer to their primary users while avoiding some of the higher operational costs of Western Europe. Authorities anticipate that advanced digital services, including AI-related processing and training, could generate up to 40 billion dirhams in revenue by 2030.
Despite these opportunities, Morocco faces structural constraints that could slow delivery. AI-focused data centers can consume up to five times more electricity than standard cloud facilities. Grid reliability and renewable energy availability are unlikely to meet these demands until at least 2035.
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Water scarcity adds another layer of complexity, as cooling requirements for large data centers are significant in a drought-prone region. Analysts caution that while announced capacity is impressive, execution and infrastructure upgrades will be the decisive factors.
Morocco has also signaled its intent to attract international investors through favorable policies and strategic partnerships. The government supports private operators with access to renewable power assets, streamlined permitting, and proximity to European markets.
Industry advisors, such as Schneider Electric, emphasize that “the first company to deliver will win the market,” highlighting the competitive advantage for early movers who can execute despite infrastructure gaps.
By Thuita Gatero, Managing Editor, Africa Digest News. He specializes in conversations around data centers, AI, cloud infrastructure, and energy.
