Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly met with representatives of INTRO Holding on Tuesday to discuss the development of the Kemet Data Centre, a significant project within the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone). The meeting followed the signing of the land contract for the project earlier that day.
Those attending the meeting included Amr Talaat, Egypt’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology; Walid Gamal El-Din, Chairperson of the SCZone; Ahmed Darwish, former Minister of Administrative Development; and Mamdouh Abbas, Founder and Chairperson of INTRO Holding.
Prime Minister Madbouly stressed the strategic importance of the Kemet Data Center, which is designed to bolster Egypt’s position in the cloud computing sector and contribute to the government’s digital transformation goals. “Egypt is ideally located to become a hub for data centres,” he said.
The Minister of Communications and Information Technology highlighted the project’s significance. “The Kemet Data Centre is the first of its kind in the SCZone and will be a major leap forward for data centres in the region and globally,” he said. He cited Egypt’s strategic location, with 19 submarine cables connecting the world, as a key competitive advantage.
The Minister also emphasised the role of the government’s comprehensive legal framework for data centres in attracting investment.
The SCZone’s Chairperson, Gamal El-Din, confirmed that the Kemet Data Centre is the first project in the zone aimed at exporting services while relying on renewable energy, making it a “Green Data Centre.” He attributed the swift agreement with INTRO Holding to the recently finalised regulations governing the establishment of data centres.
“This project demonstrates Egypt’s commitment to digital transformation and our ambition to be a leading player in the cloud computing sector,” said Abbas, Founder and Chairperson of INTRO Holding. “The Kemet Data Centre will be a crucial component in supporting regional and international markets, especially in Africa and the Middle East.”
He highlighted the centre’s strategic location within the SCZone, covering an initial area of 80,000 square metres. “It will be built in four phases, with a total investment of $1bn and a capacity of 80 megawatts,” he said.
The project, which is being developed in partnership with Oman Data Park and Sterling & Wilson, will meet the highest international standards, according to Abbas. He added that the facility will accelerate data processing and improve response times, crucial for enhancing user experience.
INTRO Holding representatives showcased their global operations, with a presence in 12 countries across various industries, including oil and gas, waste management, renewable energy, information technology, retail, construction, healthcare, and financial investment.
The Kemet Data Center will be implemented in four phases, with each phase accommodating 2,500 data transfer cabinets, each with a power capacity of 20 megawatts. The project meets Tier III specifications with additional systems to ensure a 99.999% uptime rate throughout the year. The facility will eventually house a total of 10,000 cabinets.
Prime Minister Madbouly stressed the importance of completing the entire project by the end of 2030 to meet the growing global and regional demand for cloud computing services. In response, INTRO Holding representatives pledged to accelerate the project’s completion within the timeframe set by the Prime Minister.
