Emerging Data Center Landscape in Morocco
The data center market in Morocco, while still in its nascent stages, is poised for significant growth driven by a surge in ongoing and upcoming projects. As highlighted in a recent report from BMI, a subsidiary of Fitch Solutions, the Kingdom currently boasts only 14 facilities with a mere 1.5 megawatts (MW) of operational capacity as of the second quarter of 2026. However, this scenario is expected to transform dramatically with the completion of existing projects that aim to add 140 MW of capacity, alongside the development of already planned projects totaling 400 MW. This anticipated boom in capacity is primarily fueled by three converging factors: data sovereignty requirements, the digitalization of the public sector, and national strategies focused on artificial intelligence (AI).
International investors are increasingly recognizing Morocco's potential, as evidenced by significant AI-related projects near Casablanca and Tétouan. This positions Morocco as a low-latency regional hub, making it an attractive option for companies looking to serve both European and African markets. Nonetheless, BMI notes that challenges remain, particularly concerning electrical infrastructure and project execution risks. These hurdles are somewhat mitigated by the opportunity for operators to utilize self-consumed renewable energy, a benefit that many are already eager to exploit.
Geographical Concentration and Demand Drivers
The Moroccan data center offering is currently concentrated in two main economic regions: Casablanca-Settat, which hosts six facilities, and Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, home to four. This geographical concentration is largely due to dense connectivity, access to fiber optics, and a robust demand from businesses and government entities. As of the end of 2025, the Moroccan mobile market had 59.1 million subscribers, with a penetration rate exceeding 150%. This high rate is partly attributed to operators’ reluctance to deactivate inactive SIM cards held by tourists or migrant workers, as well as the prevalence of secondary SIM cards used for cost-effective international calls.
Casablanca-Settat is expected to maintain its status as the primary entry point for colocation services in the coming years, driven by urban connectivity, fiber availability, and proximity to business demand. However, even in this region, the expansion of offerings is sometimes hindered by electrical infrastructure limitations, as seen with the $1.2 billion AI-focused data center project near Casablanca, which has had to seek independent energy solutions to meet its deadlines through a partnership with Emirati energy operator TAQA, ensuring direct access to renewable electricity.
Long-term forecasts suggest that constraints on land and electrical capacities in these historical hubs will gradually redirect new projects to other regions that offer access to renewable energy and available land. This shift is already observable, with Tétouan witnessing the Iozera group planning a $500 million investment for a 386 MW data center, aimed at democratizing access to advanced computing resources for AI, scheduled to be operational by the second half of 2026.
As reported by fr.le360.ma.
