Oman
Meta and Safaricom to lay subsea cable connecting Kenya and Oman
Meta and Safaricom are teaming up to develop the Daraja Fibre Optic Cable Project, a new 4,110km subsea cable linking Mombasa, Kenya to Salalah, Oman, with completion expected in 2026. Safaricom, leading the project with Alcatel Submarine Networks as the cable supplier and Meta affiliate Edge Network Services as investor, says the system will boost internet capacity and reliability, supporting the growth of 4G, 5G, and broadband access across the region. While Mombasa and Salalah are already key hubs for multiple international cables, Daraja will further strengthen connectivity and meet fast-rising data demand in East Africa and the Gulf…Read more
UAE
G42 aims to diversify chip suppliers for AI campus
Abu Dhabi-based tech group G42 is seeking to diversify chip suppliers for its planned UAE-US AI campus, moving beyond Nvidia by exploring partnerships with AMD, Cerebras Systems, and Qualcomm, according to reports. The group is also in talks with major US tech firms, including Amazon’s AWS, Microsoft, Meta, and Elon Musk’s xAI, to join as tenants, with Google reportedly the most advanced in discussions. The AI campus, announced during US President Donald Trump’s May visit to the UAE, is part of broader deals worth over $200Bn and aims to strengthen the Emirates’ role in global AI and cloud infrastructure…Read more
Khazna secures $2.6Bn facility to expand data centre footprint
Khazna Data Centres has secured a $2.62Bn, 10-year credit facility from Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank and First Abu Dhabi Bank to fuel its UAE and global expansion. Holding 73% of the UAE market, Khazna plans to scale across the Middle East and North Africa, where data centre capacity is expected to double in the next five years. Current projects include new sites in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and an AI-enabled facility in Ajman, alongside international developments in France, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, and Kenya. The company, which recently partnered with NVIDIA to build AI-ready infrastructure, is targeting 1GW of total capacity across its portfolio…Read more
Middle East
Is a lack of subsea cable capacity hindering the Middle East?
The Middle East’s tech growth is being constrained by a shortage of subsea cable bandwidth, even as demand surges from cloud computing and new data centre builds. Despite benefiting from recent global investment, the region’s cable density lags behind the US and Europe, with costs remaining high due to limited competition and reliance on Egypt’s transit routes. Industry experts warn that state-backed telecom monopolies slowed expansion for decades, leaving capacity at roughly half that of transatlantic connections. Now, global tech giants are stepping in: Meta’s 2Africa cable, Google’s Blue-Raman project, and the Africa-1 system backed by e& and G42 are set to boost regional connectivity. Advances in fibre technology promise future improvements, though a shortage of installation ships could delay deployments…Read more