Schneider Electric Pushes AI-Ready Infrastructure as Data Demands Spike

Fadekemi Ajakaiye

Schneider Electric has called for accelerated investment in AI-ready data centre infrastructure in Nigeria, saying rising artificial intelligence workloads are straining existing facilities and exposing gaps in power, cooling and deployment capacity.

The company said organisations that want to compete in the emerging AI-driven economy must modernise rapidly, shifting from traditional data centre designs to high-density, energy-efficient systems capable of supporting advanced compute requirements.

Industry analysts say the surge in AI adoption is reshaping global infrastructure priorities. The world’s largest technology companies are projected to spend more than $320 billion on AI infrastructure and data centres in 2025, with 60% of that going into new capacity. Schneider Electric says the same shift is now unfolding across Africa.

“With AI workloads exploding, infrastructure is no longer a background operational cost — it is a strategic differentiator,” Schneider Electric said in its latest industry analysis. “Power, cooling and deployment speed now determine how quickly organisations can innovate and compete.”

Data centre operators worldwide are recording unprecedented rack densities, with AI-optimised facilities pushing beyond 140 kilowatts per rack in 2025. Schneider Electric said these demands are accelerating a shift away from traditional cooling and toward liquid-based systems that support higher densities and reduce energy use.

In Nigeria, where operators face persistent energy costs and grid instability, advanced cooling systems are becoming essential for managing performance, lowering operational expenses and sustaining the country’s growing digital economy.

AI systems depend heavily on reliable power. Nigerian operators are increasingly turning to hybrid power systems, renewable integration and advanced energy-management tools to reduce reliance on diesel generation and maintain uptime.

A global reference model shaping these investments is the collaboration between Schneider Electric and NVIDIA, which has produced AI-optimised architectures that support up to 142 kW per rack and incorporate liquid cooling. The partnership aims to cut deployment timelines and improve overall energy efficiency.

Schneider Electric said operators looking to expand capacity quickly are adopting modular and prefabricated data centre designs. These systems cut deployment timelines from the traditional 18–24 months to as little as seven months.

The approach is gaining traction as Nigeria’s data demands surge across fintech, telecoms, manufacturing and public-sector services. Analysts expect the global modular data centre market to grow from $29.9 billion in 2024 to $79.5 billion by 2030, with Africa among the high-growth regions.
Ajibola Akindele, Country President, Schneider Electric West Africa, said Nigeria must upgrade its infrastructure or risk falling behind regional and global competitors. “AI is transforming the way businesses operate, and it is pushing data centres to deliver more capacity with greater efficiency,” he said. “For Nigeria to capture the full value of AI, we must invest in infrastructure that is modern, flexible and resilient.”

Akindele said Schneider Electric is working with partners across the continent to deploy advanced thermal management systems, intelligent rack configurations and high-density power distribution technologies designed for AI workloads.

Infrastructure Will Determine Long-Term Winners
Analysts say organisations that fail to modernise will face higher costs, slower innovation cycles and shrinking competitiveness as AI becomes central to business operations. Companies that adopt scalable, energy-efficient systems will be better positioned to unlock faster performance, improve resilience and contribute to a stronger digital economy.

Schneider Electric said the message for Nigerian businesses is clear: the future will belong to those that build smarter, not just bigger.