Nairobi — Pan-African data center Africa Data Centres is adding 1 megawatts (MW) at its Nairobi's facility.

Construction of the facility, which began in mid-June, will take an estimated 40 weeks to complete, becoming the first EDGE® certified data centre in the region.

EDGE® certification is a green building certification system for emerging markets created by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group.

It is a quantifiable way for developers to optimise designs, leading to a more marketable product and a better investment while promoting sustainability simultaneously.

EDGE® certification also helps keep certification localised, fast and inexpensive to promote more green construction by enabling developers to certify projects at a comparatively lower cost.

"East Africa Region is one of the Africa Data Centres' key markets as there is a skyrocketing- demand for data centres in the region," Africa Data Centres Managing Director Dan Kwach.

"The immediate 1MW facility is a key part of this expansion as Kenya is a critical African market in terms of being at the vanguard of hyperscale Data Centre demand and digital transformation in East Africa," he added.

According to the firm, the new facility will promote job creation, partner with local companies to build facilities, strengthen the economy, and promote social growth in all the regions of operations.

The expansion sits within the already Tier III Certified environment popularly known as the East Africa Data Centre facility.

The Sameer site is in the Sameer Business Park, the country's capital. This expansion brings an additional 717 square meters of white space, accommodating approximately 230 racks.

"The cold aisle containment will be completed to maintain cooling efficiencies and dedicated fresh air systems will manage humidity control for the hall," Kwach said.

In addition, all critical infrastructure and security systems will be managed and monitored around the clock. The facility will be ISO27001 and PCI DSS compliant to ensure top information security too," he noted.

The new facility aims to pave the way for Africa Data Centres hyperscale customers to deploy technology solutions to the region in low latency.