Microsoft-Backed Kenya Data Center Would Require a Third of the Country's Electricity
Kenyan President William Ruto speaking at the Africa Forward Summit in May 2026.Credit: Anadolu/Getty Images
A proposed 1-gigawatt AI data center in Kenya is facing scrutiny after it became clear it would consume a third of the country's power. With the President warning that operating Microsoft's planned facility would require cutting power to as many as half of the country's citizens and businesses, the project's development has faltered as all parties discuss potentially scaling back its ambitious goals.
Microsoft originally announced the project in 2024, when it pledged to build a $1 billion geothermal-powered data center in the Olkaria region of Kenya's Rift Valley. The facility would initially have a 100-megawatt capacity, with plans to scale up to 1 gigawatt in the years to come. This project was to be run by G42, an Emirati AI and cloud computing holding company that Microsoft invested $1.5 billion in that same year.
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