The power-hungry AI boom could reshape energy infrastructure globally, but remains fixated on the wealthiest countries. Meanwhile, Africa sits at an inflection point. The continent’s untapped energy resources and growing digital needs could position it as an unexpected beneficiary in the AI revolution, while solving its decades-old infrastructure challenges. Or it could be left far behind. Here are three big questions on our mind:

1. Can hyperscalers become the anchor customers Africa’s power systems desperately need? The biggest AI players are scrambling for firm, clean power to meet their net zero goals. Africa has plenty of untapped hydro, geothermal, solar, and wind. Yet, distressed utilities across the continent are bleeding revenue as large industrial customers, such as factories and mines, defect to private generation. Data centers could flip this script. If hyperscalers (major cloud providers like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon) connect to the grid instead of relying on captive power, and sign long-term contracts with local utilities, they could provide the stable revenue that unlocks desperately needed infrastructure investment.
2. How do we bridge the computational divide? Africa will soon be home to one quarter of the world’s population, yet it hosts less than 1% of global data center capacity. Only 5% of the continent’s AI talent has access to the necessary computational power for AI research and innovation. Building the data centers needed to close this gap requires massive electricity infrastructure, but no one is tracking how much power this buildout would actually demand across different African markets. Without electricity demand projections, both government and tech companies are flying blind.
3. Will China or the US shape Africa’s digital future? Chinese firms are moving quickly to build tech infrastructure across Africa, bringing capital but also long-term risky debt obligations and potentially ceding control over critical infrastructure. American AI engagement is scaling in response: the DFC-backed Cassava Technologies, Africa’s leading fiber optic network operator, has launched a $720 million partnership with US-based AI chip leader Nvidia, the largest private tech infrastructure commitment in Africa to date and one that keeps data within continental borders. EXIM’s first sub-Saharan data center financing in Côte d’Ivoire is explicitly intended to displace competition from China. These competing models aim to steer data center growth, putting the onus on African governments to attract the most investment while extracting the most local benefit.

What’s Next Depends on Who Stands Up

Africa can either remain on the periphery of the AI revolution or leverage this moment to meet its energy needs. AI development that serves local priorities — rather than simply extracting resources for external benefit — requires reliable electricity and linking data center expansion to power the rest of the economy. Which African governments will rise to meet this challenge?