Schneider Electric Urges Nigerian Data Centers to Adopt Liquid Cooling for Artificial Intelligence and Sustainable Growth

Ajibola Akindele of Schneider Electric explains why liquid cooling is essential for Nigeria's data centers to support AI growth and energy sustainability by 2030.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 18, 2026, 4:42 AM EDT

Source: The information in this article was sourced from LEADERSHIP News

The Infrastructure Shift Toward High-Density Computing

Nigeria’s digital landscape is approaching a critical infrastructure crossroads as the adoption of Artificial Intelligence and high-performance computing strains existing hardware limits. According to Ajibola Akindele, the country president for Schneider Electric Anglophone Africa, traditional air-cooling methods are rapidly becoming obsolete in the face of modern data center requirements. Akindele noted that as computing density increases, the industry must pivot toward liquid-cooling solutions to maintain the stability and efficiency of the country’s digital future, ensuring that the hardware supporting the next generation of innovation does not fail under the heat of its own operations.

Mitigating the Global Energy Surge in Data Management

The push for more efficient cooling is underscored by alarming projections regarding global power consumption within the technology sector. Citing data from the International Energy Agency, Akindele pointed out that data centers are on a trajectory to account for approximately three percent of global electricity consumption by 2030, a figure that nearly doubles current usage. Since cooling systems are the second-largest energy consumers within these facilities, following only the IT equipment itself, the transition to liquid cooling is framed as a strategic necessity to prevent data centers from becoming an unsustainable drain on Nigeria’s national power grid.

Balancing Heat Management with Sustainability Goals

Beyond mere operational efficiency, the adoption of liquid-based thermal management is deeply intertwined with environmental stewardship. Akindele emphasized that liquid cooling offers the specific density required for modern tech without forcing operators to compromise on their long-term sustainability mandates. While energy sources largely dictate the carbon footprint of these centers, particularly in fossil-fuel-dependent regions, the implementation of more precise heat management systems can significantly lower the overall environmental impact of a facility by reducing the total kilowatt-hours required to keep servers functional.