MTN Group is reportedly in discussions with US and European companies to develop the infrastructure needed to power AI services.

Chief executive officer Ralph Mupita told Bloomberg the operator will co-fund the investment required to construct data centres in Africa. Work has already begun on its first facility in Nigeria, which will cost US$240 million.

Mupita said MTN plans to build infrastructure and lease capacity to businesses seeking AI compute across the continent. He added the company is currently in the commercial negotiation phase and will soon shortlist partners to help it scale, with agreements expected to be finalised within 12 months.

MTN's specialist AI infrastructure unit, Genova, is leading the data centre rollout. The division will monetise assets and onboard companies seeking AI compute. However, the operator is anticipating energy supply challenges and is exploring options to secure consistent power.

Bloomberg noted Africa accounts for just 1% of global AI data centre capacity, despite having the world's fastest growing and youngest population. Existing infrastructure is concentrated in South Africa, where hyperscalers including Amazon, Alibaba and Microsoft operate.

Cassava Technologies recently announced plans to address the same gap by building five "AI factories" across Africa.