SoleCrypt and Schneider Electric Partner to Develop 20MW Solar-Powered AI Data Center in Tunisia
February 6, 2026
In a significant move for North Africa's digital infrastructure landscape, Anglo-Tunisian developer SoleCrypt has announced a partnership with global energy management giant Schneider Electric to build a 20-megawatt (MW), solar-powered data center in Bizerte, northern Tunisia. The project underscores the growing industry imperative to deploy high-performance computing capacity in strategic locations while adhering to stringent sustainability goals. The facility will be strategically located at a key telecommunications hub, the landing point for three submarine cables including the extensive 8,700-kilometer Medusa cable system that connects 19 sites across Europe and North Africa. To achieve its 100% renewable energy target, the data center will be powered by a dedicated 60MW solar farm, known as Site T60, currently under development by SoleCrypt in the Tozeur desert. The solar project's base camp achieved operational status in November, with next steps involving ground-profiling and coordination with local authorities. A definitive timeline for the data center's full operational launch has not been disclosed. This Bizerte project is the first initiative under a broader, non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two companies. The partnership aims to design and develop a network of next-generation data centers across Tunisia specifically tailored for artificial intelligence workloads. These facilities will integrate high-energy-efficiency architectures and low-water-consumption cooling technologies. SoleCrypt will provide strategically located sites with robust connections to Tunisia's national power grid and telecom infrastructure, promising sub-millisecond latency to Europe. Schneider Electric will act as the key technology advisor, supplying AI data center reference architectures co-developed with Nvidia, alongside comprehensive power, cooling, and management solutions. “Our project positions Tunisia as a true digital bridge between Africa and Europe, serving industrial players, fintechs, and artificial intelligence laboratories. We want to work with Schneider Electric to transform Tunisia into a Mediterranean super hub for sustainable digital infrastructure,” said Amir Ben Gacem, CEO of SoleCrypt. Amine Benchekroun, VP Secure Power at Schneider Electric, added, “With SoleCrypt, we combine Tunisian sites with premium international routing and our AI designs developed with Nvidia to rapidly deliver world-class compute capacity that is water-efficient and ready to scale.” The collaboration signals Tunisia's emerging potential as a competitive data center location, leveraging its geographic position, renewable energy resources, and connectivity to major international cable routes. It also reflects a broader industry trend where AI-driven demand is catalyzing investments in sustainable digital infrastructure in non-traditional markets.
Source: datacenterdynamics
