Schneider Electric has called on data centre operators across Nigeria to embrace liquid cooling technologies as artificial intelligence (AI) workloads surge, driving unprecedented energy and thermal demands. Industry reports indicate that AI tasks consume nearly ten times more electricity than standard internet searches, while projections from the International Energy Agency suggest that global data centres could account for about three per cent of electricity usage by 2030—almost double today’s share.
High ambient temperatures in Nigeria compound cooling challenges, making efficient thermal management critical for the country’s growing digital infrastructure. According to Ajibola Akindele, Country President of Schneider Electric Anglophone Africa, the rapid adoption of AI and high-performance computing requires a shift from traditional air-cooling systems to liquid cooling solutions.
Liquid cooling technology removes heat directly at the chip level, providing up to 3,000 times greater efficiency than conventional air cooling. It can reduce energy consumption by 30 to 60 per cent while eliminating direct water use through closed-loop designs, a vital consideration for regions facing water scarcity.
Schneider Electric highlights that future rack densities in fully populated GPU-based systems are expected to reach 240 kilowatts per rack, with some projections even hitting one megawatt. In response, liquid cooling offers the density and efficiency required to power Nigeria’s digital future without compromising sustainability goals. The company also emphasises that expelled heat can be repurposed for industrial processes or district heating, further improving energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Experts advising on liquid cooling adoption stress the importance of early alignment between IT infrastructure and physical design, flexible systems capable of supporting multiple hardware generations, and collaboration with vendors and system integrators. Schneider Electric cites its partnership with NVIDIA on reference designs as an example of effective ecosystem collaboration.
“As AI workloads expand, cooling is no longer a background utility; it has become a cornerstone of innovation and competitive advantage,” Akindele said. “Liquid cooling enables data centres to scale efficiently, conserve energy and water, and support Nigeria’s transition toward a sustainable digital economy.”
The call comes as Nigerian operators confront both rising energy costs and increased demand for high-performance computing driven by AI applications, reinforcing the need for forward-looking strategies in data centre design and operation.
