Imagine a tiny delivery robot navigating a hotel in Tokyo, riding elevators and negotiating its way alone through corridors to deliver a package to the 35th floor. “This is a striking example of how technology can seamlessly interact with the real world - something that initially seems trivial but actually represents the potential we’re seeing in AI and automation today,” says Wojtek Piorko, MD for Africa at Vertiv, a global leader in critical digital infrastructure. 

“The pace of AI adoption is forcing data centres to evolve at unprecedented speed,” he explained, “now having to manage growing power and heat densities, requiring advanced technologies to enable densification without increasing physical footprints.

“Workloads that once required large spaces can now be executed in a fraction of the area, also thanks to innovations in cooling, power and modular infrastructure,” he adds. “Today, we are deploying infrastructure at speeds and scales that were unimaginable just a few years ago. AI factories - data centres specifically designed for massive GPU workloads - are now reality.”

Infrastructure that supports AI 

The scale of this transformation is enormous, Piorko clarifies. “Data volumes are growing far faster than traditional compute and data centre expansion models. Infrastructure innovations allow us to deploy and scale significantly more compute in a shorter timeframe, using less physical space and with greater operational agility. Recent GPU generations demonstrate this trend, with compute performance and power density increasing dramatically from one generation to the next. Enabling this requires investment in factories, deployment capabilities and life-cycle services, so AI infrastructure can be deployed, operated and scaled safely, reliably and efficiently.

“Prefabrication, modular construction and flexible designs allow us to meet the rising demand for AI-ready infrastructure while keeping deployment times short. This is essential for clients who need operational systems within months, not years.

“In Africa, this approach has proven particularly powerful. Vertiv has supported everything from compact, single-module deployments, to large, multi-storey modular facilities built to meet the precise requirements of hyperscale and enterprise customers. These projects are often tailored for challenging environments, variable grid conditions and rapid growth trajectories; realities that demand resilience, adaptability and speed by design.”

Partnerships with technology leaders, such as NVIDIA, are critical, and Piorko describes Vertiv as the ‘shovel’ behind the scenes, providing the foundational power, cooling and data centre systems necessary to bring advanced GPU technology to life. 

Vertiv’s holistic approach 

“Vertiv optimises the entire ‘power train’ and ‘thermal chain’, taking a holistic, system-level approach rather than focusing on individual components in isolation. From grid to chip, and from chip to heat reuse, we develop technologies that enable greater data centre efficiency, higher densification and operational flexibility.”

Equally important is the human element, adds Piorko. “AI ultimately depends on human ingenuity, so we keep our teams highly trained and ahead of the curve. Everything we do in AI and data centres is made possible by people - talented engineers, technicians and innovators working tirelessly to make these visions reality. It’s their expertise and dedication that transform cutting-edge technology into operational infrastructure capable of supporting the next wave of AI.

This focus on skills development is particularly relevant in Africa, where Vertiv’s Customer Experience Centres (CECs) in countries like South Africa, Morocco, Nigeria and Kenya play a key role in training partners, engineers and customers. 

“Our customer experience centres provide hands-on exposure to real-world infrastructure scenarios, helping teams understand how advanced power and cooling technologies perform under practical conditions, and equipping them to design, deploy and operate AI-ready environments with confidence.”

With each new generation of GPUs pushing performance and power requirements, Vertiv’s integrated approach to prefabrication, modularisation and lifecycle services is positioning the company at the forefront of critical digital infrastructure innovation. The result: data centres that don’t just support AI - they make it possible, Piorko concludes.