• Huawei installs AI-driven power & cooling systems at Coop Bank of Oromia to boost uptime and efficiency.
• Coop Bank processes US$24.7 billion digitally; AI integration supports Ethiopia’s financial inclusion and digital goals.
• Rivals Schneider, Vertiv, and Eaton are still in pilot stages; Huawei is the first to deploy AI-powered infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa.

Huawei Digital Power has deployed artificial intelligence-enabled data centre technology at the Cooperative Bank of Oromia, as the bank manages increasing volumes of digital transactions. The bank has adopted Huawei’s FusionModule2000 and UPS5000-E modular systems, which integrate power, cooling, and data management with AI-based monitoring designed to minimise downtime and improve energy efficiency.

The update comes at a time when debates in the United States focus on restrictions surrounding the exports of advanced semiconductors and AI chips, while Huawei is advancing the deployment of AI-enabled infrastructure in emerging markets. Unlike U.S.-restricted GPU exports, these systems embed intelligence in power and cooling modules, effectively exporting AI capabilities as part of infrastructure solutions.

The Cooperative Bank of Oromia is Ethiopia’s third-largest private lender. Established in 2004, the bank reported assets of 189.4 billion birr and deposits of 169.5 billion birr. It serves approximately 15 million customers through 745 branches and employs about 15,000 staff. In 2024, the bank processed digital transactions valued at more than 3.6 trillion birr, equivalent to approximately US$24.7 billion, with over 80% of transactions conducted digitally.

The bank has expanded its digital services portfolio in recent years. Michu, its uncollateralised digital lending platform, has disbursed 28.2 billion birr to 1.73 million small businesses. Alhuda offers Sharia-compliant banking products, while Coop-Remit uses blockchain-based systems to process diaspora remittances from 23 countries.

Ethiopia’s broader financial inclusion and digitisation policies form the national context for these developments. The National Financial Inclusion Strategy (2021–2025) aims to achieve 70% adult account ownership by December 2025, up from 22% in 2014 and an estimated 46–55% in 2023. The Digital Ethiopia 2025 strategy further prioritises the expansion of financial technology and digital wallets.

Improved power reliability is expected to support these goals by enabling institutions, such as the Cooperative Bank of Oromia, to add new digital accounts without incurring significant additional energy infrastructure investment. The technology is deployed in Addis Ababa to predict failures up to 30 minutes in advance. Huawei indicates that average switchover times are under 30 seconds, supporting continuous operation of core banking systems despite grid instability.

Hardware efficiency is also a component of the deployment. The UPS5000-E modular units and associated cooling systems consume approximately 200 kilowatt-hours less per month than the bank’s previous setup. Distributors in Ethiopia list Huawei’s modular AI-integrated systems at a price range of between US$200,000 and US$2 million, depending on the configuration and the number of AI inference cards used. Ethiopia imposes a 30% import duty on ICT equipment, but Huawei projects a payback period of approximately 2.3 years through reduced energy costs and improved uptime.

Other multinational providers, including Schneider Electric, Vertiv, and Eaton, are piloting comparable AI-based energy management systems. Schneider is testing digital-twin-based predictive maintenance in Europe and Asia, Vertiv is applying AI to modular cooling and UPS in North America, and Eaton has launched utility partnerships on AI-enabled intelligent grid nodes. None of these has yet deployed comparable systems in sub-Saharan Africa.

The integration of Chinese-trained AI systems into African banking infrastructure raises regulatory and sovereignty considerations. Questions include the governance of local waveform and operational data, cybersecurity risks associated with AI-controlled power systems, and long-term dependency on a single vendor’s proprietary firmware. Ethiopia has not yet issued specific regulatory guidelines for AI-enabled critical infrastructure; however, its financial and digital strategies emphasize the importance of resilience and security.

Suppose the Cooperative Bank of Oromia maintains high levels of uptime for a sustained period of time. In that case, similar deployments are likely to follow in other African financial hubs, including Nairobi, Lagos, and Accra. Competitors are expected to accelerate their pilots to address demand for reliable power management in financial institutions operating on fragile grids.

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