Morocco has secured an initial US$1.2 billion investment to develop what is being described as Africa’s first sovereign artificial intelligence infrastructure platform, a major step in positioning the country as a regional digital hub.
The project, unveiled during GITEX Africa 2026 in Marrakesh, will see the construction of a large-scale AI data centre under the name Nexus AI Factory in the suburbs of Casablanca.
The facility is expected to be powered by renewable energy and ultimately scale up to 500 megawatts of computing capacity, making it one of the largest AI-focused infrastructure projects in the region.
The consortium behind the investment includes US-based Nexus Core Systems, AI chipmaker Nvidia, South Korea’s Naver, and global investment firm Lloyd Capital.
In its first phase, the project will deploy around 40 megawatts of high-performance computing capacity using Nvidia’s latest Blackwell GB200 graphics processing units, designed for advanced artificial intelligence workloads.
Officials say the AI factory will provide sovereign computing services across the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region, positioning Morocco as a key digital gateway between continents.
The project is expected to strengthen Morocco’s role in the emerging global “intelligence economy,” where access to computing power, data infrastructure and energy is increasingly strategic.
A key feature of the investment is its reliance on renewable energy, supported by a long-term supply agreement with UAE-based power producer TAQA, ensuring stable electricity for the energy-intensive data centre operations.
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Developers say the combination of clean energy, connectivity infrastructure and geographic proximity to Europe were decisive factors in selecting Morocco over competing bids from other African countries.
The project comes amid growing competition among African economies to attract high-value digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence investment.
Analysts say Morocco’s win reflects investor confidence in its political stability, infrastructure base and strategic location as a bridge between Europe and Africa.
The AI factory is expected to evolve in stages, eventually becoming a fully scaled sovereign computing platform capable of supporting advanced AI development, cloud services and regional data processing.
Officials involved in the project say it could help accelerate digital transformation across Africa by reducing reliance on external computing infrastructure.
The initiative also aligns with broader national strategies to expand Morocco’s digital economy and attract technology-driven foreign direct investment.
If successfully implemented, the project could mark a turning point in Africa’s participation in the global AI industry, positioning Morocco as a leading hub for next-generation computing infrastructure.
