Digital Realty has expanded its footprint in East Africa with the opening of a new 6.4-megawatt data centre in Nairobi, strengthening the Kenyan capital’s position as a growing hub for digital infrastructure.
The new facility, known as Nairobi Two (NBO2), expands Digital Realty’s existing Nairobi campus and was developed alongside Nairobi One (NBO1). Its launch also coincides with the transition of iColo to the Digital Realty brand in Kenya and Mozambique.
The company said the expanded campus will provide businesses with greater access to cloud services, interconnection infrastructure and digital networks. Customers at the Nairobi campus can connect to more than 100 networks, two internet exchange points and a satellite teleport, creating additional infrastructure for content delivery and cross-border connectivity.
The expansion comes as demand for cloud computing, enterprise digitisation and data storage continues to grow across East Africa. It also reflects the increasing importance of local data infrastructure as businesses and governments seek to maintain greater control over where critical data is stored and processed.
Wanja Muriithi, Digital Realty’s Country General Manager for Kenya, said the development represented both the continued growth of Kenya’s digital economy and the integration of the company’s local operations into a broader global platform.
With NBO2 now operational, Nairobi gains additional capacity to support businesses requiring colocation, interconnection and hybrid IT services. The facility could also strengthen the city’s role as a gateway connecting East African businesses and digital services to regional and global markets.
Digital Realty’s investment highlights a broader shift taking place across Africa’s technology landscape. As demand for artificial intelligence, cloud computing and digital services increases, data centres are becoming increasingly critical infrastructure rather than simply facilities for storing information.
The question for Africa, however, is whether the expansion of such infrastructure will merely accommodate global technology companies or provide the foundation for stronger local digital ecosystems.
For Nairobi, the opening of NBO2 is another step towards establishing itself as a key node in East Africa’s digital economy.
