iXAfrica Data Centres to Host Oracle Cloud Region in Kenya

iXAfrica Data Centres (iXAfrica) has been selected as the colocation partner for Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) in Nairobi, marking a significant step for hyperscale cloud deployment in East and Central Africa. 

The new OCI public cloud region was announced by Kenya’s President William Ruto in January 2024 and is designed to meet growing demand for cloud services in the country.

The collaboration highlights how execution-ready facilities are becoming critical to attracting global cloud platforms.

Oracle’s decision reflects iXAfrica’s position as the largest hyperscale, carrier-neutral and AI-ready data centre in the region, built to support immediate deployment at scale.

The Nairobi OCI region will be hosted within iXAfrica’s purpose-built facility, which has been designed to global cloud standards.

Its combination of resilient power architecture, high-density compute capability and proximity to key connectivity infrastructure sets it apart in a market where many sites remain in early development stages.

Hyperscale readiness in the Kenyan market

OCI’s selection of iXAfrica underscores the importance of readiness for public cloud providers.

Hyperscalers require facilities that can support strict operational requirements from day one, including redundant power, diverse network paths and the ability to scale rapidly.

iXAfrica’s facility has been developed with these needs in mind.

It offers carrier neutrality, enabling access to multiple network providers, alongside infrastructure capable of supporting AI workloads that demand higher rack densities and more complex cooling strategies. 

Its location close to submarine cable landing points and national fibre routes further strengthens its appeal as a cloud hub.

This combination makes it the only facility in Kenya currently able to support immediate public cloud deployment at scale, positioning Nairobi as a viable location for latency-sensitive services and regional cloud expansion.

Supporting sovereign and low-latency cloud

iXAfrica’s facility has been developed with these needs in mind.

It offers carrier neutrality, enabling access to multiple network providers, alongside infrastructure capable of supporting AI workloads that demand higher rack densities and more complex cooling strategies. 

Its location close to submarine cable landing points and national fibre routes further strengthens its appeal as a cloud hub.

This combination makes it the only facility in Kenya currently able to support immediate public cloud deployment at scale, positioning Nairobi as a viable location for latency-sensitive services and regional cloud expansion.

Supporting sovereign and low-latency cloud

Hosting OCI locally allows organisations in Kenya and neighbouring countries to deploy workloads closer to end users.

For enterprises and public sector bodies, this brings benefits around latency, data residency and regulatory compliance.

By keeping data within the country, the Nairobi region supports sovereign cloud requirements while maintaining access to Oracle’s global cloud platform.

This is particularly relevant for sectors such as financial services, government and emerging AI applications where data locality and performance are critical.

“We are delighted to be in execution mode to bring OCI to Kenya,” says Snehar Shah, CEO of iXAfrica.

“With this collaboration, iXAfrica is leveraging the renewable energy, talent and abundant submarine and national connectivity available in our market.”

Oracle expands regional cloud footprint

For Oracle, the Nairobi region extends its global cloud footprint while responding to demand from African customers seeking secure and scalable infrastructure. 

The company has positioned OCI around support for mission-critical workloads and predictable performance, attributes that depend heavily on the underlying data centre environment.

“Around the world, governments and enterprises rely on OCI for its security, scalability and ability to run mission-critical workloads that enable innovation at scale,” says David Bunei, Country Leader for Kenya at Oracle.

“These unique capabilities and our collaboration with iXAfrica will further support the growth of the country’s digital economy.”

This partnership reinforces how global cloud providers increasingly rely on specialist colocation operators rather than building their own facilities in every market.

Execution and deployment underway

iXAfrica is already in full execution mode, with construction, power and connectivity infrastructure at advanced stages of deployment. 

This readiness is central to supporting hyperscale cloud timelines, which often require rapid availability once a region is announced.

The Nairobi OCI region demonstrates how investment in hyperscale-grade infrastructure can attract global platforms and anchor broader digital ecosystems. 

It places a world-class cloud region within Kenya’s borders and, for iXAfrica, it validates the company’s strategy of building execution-ready capacity capable of meeting the demands of leading cloud providers.