Moroccan telecommunications operator Inwi has deployed a chilled-water cooling system at its Technopolis Rabat data centre, supplied by Vertiv, the two companies announced. The installation builds on earlier deployments by Vertiv at Inwi data centre sites in Marrakech and Settat.
715 kW chillers with free-cooling
The system at Technopolis Rabat is built around Vertiv Liebert AFC air-cooled chillers rated at 715 kW per unit, configured with both a primary and a redundant unit to maintain operations during maintenance or component failure. The chillers feature free-cooling, which uses ambient air for heat rejection when external temperatures permit, reducing energy consumption.
The IT halls are served by Vertiv Liebert PCW chilled-water computer room air handlers, controlled by Vertiv Liebert iCOM control units for real-time temperature and humidity management. Vertiv supplied installation and commissioning services and provides ongoing maintenance.
Designed for a 45-degree ambient
The Technopolis Rabat installation was designed to maintain cooling performance in summer ambient temperatures that can exceed 45 degrees Celsius, the companies said. Inwi also required the new systems to be integrated without disrupting existing operations and to align with the operator’s energy-efficiency objectives.
N+1 redundancy and modular design
The deployed configuration provides N+1 redundancy at the chiller level and is modular, allowing capacity expansion without the disruption typically associated with greenfield retrofits. Vertiv said the design supports concurrent maintenance and incremental scaling of cooling capacity.
“By implementing advanced chilled water and precision cooling solutions at our Technopolis Rabat site, Vertiv has played a key role in our strategic initiative to upgrade and modernise Inwi’s data centre facilities, enabling us to meet the growing demands for data processing and storage,” said Abdelilah Idrissi, head of data centres design and operations at Inwi.
Zineb Kamri, Vertiv’s regional director for Northwest Africa, said the company’s existing presence at Inwi’s Marrakech and Settat sites positioned it for the Rabat project. “Africa is undergoing a significant transformation in both its energy and digital infrastructure sectors. The success of the Marrakech and Settat installations paved the way for this new opportunity at Technopolis.”
Africa data centre context
Africa’s data centre market has been expanding as cloud, mobile and digital services scale across the continent. Vertiv, a US-listed company (NYSE: VRT) that supplies power, cooling, and IT infrastructure, has been positioning North Africa as a key focus market in its African strategy.
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