By Ahmed Eljechtimi
RABAT (Reuters) -Morocco plans to build a 500 megawatt data centre powered by renewable energy to strengthen security of data storage, its digital transition minister said.
The centre will be located in Dakhla, in Western Sahara, Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni told Reuters, without giving details on the timeline or cost.
Several countries are building such centres to ensure that sensitive data can be stored and processed within national borders.
These centres can be owned or operated by state-owned or private companies while ensuring that data remains under the legal jurisdiction of the host country.
Morocco launched its first such centre at the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University. It has been offering cloud hosting services to local public and private organisations, since January.
“Through this network of data centres, the kingdom not only asserts its digital sovereignty, but also its ambition to become a regional digital hub serving Africa,” Seghrouchni said.
Morocco plans to invest 11 billion dirhams ($1.22 billion) on its digital modernisation strategy over 2024-2026, which includes artificial intelligence and expanding fibre optic deployment.
(Reporting by Ahmed El JechtimiEditing by Alexander Dziadosz, Mark Potter and David Goodman)
