South Korean Naver Builds AI Data Center in Morocco

Naver to Build 500 MW AI Data Center in Morocco, Partnering with Nvidia and Local Firms
The Green Factory; Naver Headquarter in Seongnam
The Green Factory; Naver Headquarter in Seongnam© revi / Copyleft
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South Korean tech giant Naver announced plans on June 12, 2025, to construct a 500-megawatt artificial intelligence data center in Morocco, positioning the North African nation as a key digital hub bridging Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The project, unveiled at the VivaTech conference in Paris, will be developed in partnership with Nvidia, Moroccan energy firm Taqa Morocco, AI infrastructure specialist Nexus Core Systems, and investment group Lloyds Capital.

The facility, powered entirely by renewable energy, is set to become one of the largest AI data centers in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region. Its first phase—a 40 MW supercomputing infrastructure equipped with Nvidia’s latest Blackwell GPUs—is slated for completion in late 2025, with full-scale deployment reaching 500 MW in subsequent phases.

Morocco’s Strategic Advantages

Naver cited Morocco’s geographic proximity to Europe—just 15 kilometers away at its closest point—as well as its extensive fiber-optic submarine cable network and renewable energy capabilities as decisive factors in the site selection. The country currently hosts 23 data centers, the most in Africa, and has emerged as a competitive destination due to its stable business environment, skilled workforce, and favorable regulatory climate.

The consortium, led by Naver Cloud, will operate the facility under a "sovereign cloud and AI framework," ensuring localized data processing and storage. The project aligns with Morocco’s national strategy to become a regional leader in green digital infrastructure while addressing growing concerns about the environmental impact of data centers.

"This initiative reflects our ambition to expand beyond Asia and the Middle East into Europe and Africa," said a Naver executive. "Morocco’s renewable energy leadership and connectivity make it an ideal gateway for AI and cloud services across continents."

The announcement comes amid heightened scrutiny of data centers’ carbon footprint. A 2024 study by Park Place Technologies highlighted the sector’s substantial energy consumption, though Naver emphasized its commitment to sustainability through renewable power agreements with Taqa Morocco.

Analysts say the project could further solidify Morocco’s position as Africa’s premier data hub, attracting additional tech investments and accelerating the region’s digital transformation.

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