Microsoft’s African data center falters on payment demands: Report

A Microsoft data center site in East Africa has been delayed by disagreements with the Kenyan government over the company’s request for guaranteed payments, Bloomberg News reported ‌on Sunday ⁠citing ⁠people familiar with the matter.

In May 2024, Microsoft partnered with UAE-based AI firm G42 to invest $1 billion in a data center in Kenya as part of its efforts to expand cloud-computing services in East Africa. The project was announced during Kenyan President William Ruto’s state visit to Washington under the ⁠Biden administration.