• Morocco to build 500 MW green-powered data center in Dakhla to boost cloud infrastructure
• Part of Digital Morocco 2030, aiming for data sovereignty and regional digital leadership
• Key project details still undisclosed, including cost and timeline

Morocco plans to build a 500-megawatt data center powered entirely by renewable energy. This initiative is part of efforts to strengthen its national cloud infrastructure, as announced by Reuters, quoting Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni, Minister of Digital Transition, on Wednesday, July 9.

"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," the minister said.

The project follows the launch of an initial facility at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University. This facility has been offering hosting services to both public and private institutions since January 2025.

Under its "Digital Morocco 2030" roadmap, the kingdom aims to develop a hybrid national cloud offering, combining sovereign and public cloud solutions. The goal is twofold: ensure sensitive national data remains stored on Moroccan soil under Moroccan jurisdiction, and facilitate the shift toward fully cloud-based digital infrastructure.

A 2022 World Bank study encouraged governments to prioritize cloud adoption to accelerate digital transformation and tap into the global digital economy. The study highlighted how cloud technologies can reduce costs, rapidly scale infrastructure, improve cybersecurity, and enable advanced data processing through artificial intelligence. It cited examples like Rwanda, which used an AI-assisted cloud-based triage system during the COVID-19 pandemic to address a shortage of medical personnel. Singapore also implemented a secure private government cloud known as "G-cloud," a hybrid system allowing each ministry to select the most suitable cloud solution based on specific needs.

Morocco’s national cloud remains in its early stages. While the new data center is expected to be built in Dakhla, in the Western Sahara region, key details have yet to be disclosed. These include the project’s cost, involved partners, construction timeline, and actual capacity.

Isaac K. Kassouwi