Gabon's ST Digital Launches First Sovereign Tier III Data Center

en.Wedoany.com Reported - African data center operator ST Digital has launched its first Tier III data center in Gabon, located in the Nkok Special Economic Zone near the capital city of Libreville. The Gabonese government stated that this sovereign data center has a power capacity of 1 MW and can accommodate up to 3,000 physical servers.

The data center adopts a modular and scalable design, aimed at meeting the growing demands of domestic government, enterprises, and financial institutions. The first phase includes 65 square meters of colocation space. According to a government press release, the facility provides the lowest latency for the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) through direct connections to the ACE and SAT-3/WASC submarine cable systems.

Laïka Mba, General Manager of ST Digital Gabon, stated in a press release: "This project proves that there is no ambition that cannot be realized on Gabonese soil." The data center is powered by a 15 kV power supply, equipped with 150 kVA and 100 kVA generators as backup power, along with a UPS system. The government stated that 22% of the facility's energy is provided by a photovoltaic power station.

The government indicated that this infrastructure will enable Gabon to reduce its reliance on data centers outside the African continent, while meeting growing requirements for data localization, cybersecurity, regulatory compliance, and digital sovereignty. The facility will also provide a reference infrastructure that meets international standards for banks, public administration bodies, telecommunications operators, industries, fintech companies, and tech startups.

The first phase of the data center will host national, corporate, and personal data on local servers for the first time. Data sovereignty is a key selling point of the project, as Gabon seeks to consolidate its position as an economic power in Central Africa and provide local enterprises with digital infrastructure and services located within the country.

Jean-Francis Ahanda, Chief Technology Officer of ST Digital Group, stated in a press release following a meeting with Gabon's Ministry of Digital Economy in June that data sovereignty is no longer an obstacle to be circumvented; it is becoming a mature design principle, ensuring that infrastructure can evolve with the geopolitical landscape while fostering innovation and maintaining data security compliance.

Gabon is still in the early stages of the data center market, but several projects are underway. U.S. technology company Cybastion is leading a 20 MW data center development project in the Nkok Special Economic Zone, and the government is building a gas-fired power plant to supply the facility. The Porteo Group will be responsible for the construction of this project.