Somalian Internet Provider Eyes Green Data Centers for AI

(Bloomberg) -- Somalia’s biggest telecommunications firm plans to build more green data centers to support the growing demands of the local and the global AI economy, Chief Executive Officer Ahmed Mohamud Yusuf said. 

Hormuud Telecom Somalia’s investment in solar-powered data centers continues despite upheaval in the Horn of African nation.

“We operate in a complex environment with security concerns and infrastructure gaps that can make progress slower than we’d like,” Yusuf said in response to emailed questions. “At the same time, Somalia is brimming with opportunity.”

Hormuud has 11 data centers with a combined 10 MW of capacity. In some of its data centers, as much as 95% of the energy coming from solar during the day. Target capacity for the new facilities will depend on demand, he said.

“Somalia is one of the sunniest countries in the world and many of our data centers are already running on solar power during the day,” Yusuf said. 

Hormuud, Somali for pioneer, was formed 22 years ago about a decade after the nation descended into civil war. It’s since co-financed two of four submarine cables landing on Somalia’s coast and has extended a fiber-optic network to key cities. It’s also rolling out 5G technology to cover 70% of the population in the next year.

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Somalia has some of the cheapest mobile data globally at an average cost of $0.50 per gigabyte, according to the company.

“As Somalia’s economy grows, so will demand for data, and our infrastructure must grow with it,” Yusuf said.

Hormuud – the biggest operator in a market that includes Somtel, Telesom and Golis Telecom Somalia – serves four million customers, or a fifth of the population, and has 13,000 shareholders. In the past five years, it helped distribute £800 million ($1 billion) in humanitarian aid directly to beneficiaries.