Morocco is putting artificial intelligence at the centre of its digital plans. A national roadmap sets measurable goals for 2030, and a private project plans to bring large-scale computing power to the country.
What the AI 2030 roadmap targets
On October 16, Ahmed Rahhou was named minister of artificial intelligence, digital transformation and administrative reform, a title that now puts AI in the name of the department, Morocco World News and Innovation Village report. The department carries the Morocco Digital 2030 strategy and the Morocco AI 2030 roadmap, branded “AI Made in Morocco”.
According to those reports, the roadmap aims for:
- about MAD 100 billion (roughly $10 billion) in added GDP by 2030;
- 50,000 direct and indirect AI-related jobs;
- 200,000 people trained or certified in AI skills.
Morocco World News also lists the expansion of the JAZARI research institutes, a sovereign AI marketplace, the Idarati AI assistant for administrative procedures, and AI models for Arabic, Darija and Amazigh among the planned initiatives.
A planned AI data centre
On the infrastructure side, Developing Telecoms reported in April that Nexus Core Systems signed a memorandum of understanding at GITEX Africa in Marrakech for an AI factory worth MAD 12 billion (about $1.29 billion). Phase one, in Nouaceur, would offer 16 MW of IT load; phase two, in northern Morocco, 20 MW, for 36 MW in total. Construction is expected to begin in 2027, with both phases powered by renewable energy through TAQA Morocco.
The report names Nvidia and Lloyds Capital as key players and says the project includes a high-performance computing data centre, a centre of excellence and an AI innovation hub. It is a memorandum of understanding, so timelines may change.
What to watch
The targets are ambitious, and progress will depend on skills, connectivity and investment actually reaching the ground. For Moroccan startups, students and businesses, the next milestones to follow are the training programmes and whether the data centre moves from agreement to construction. Related reading: OCP’s new battery at Benguerir shows how energy projects are also scaling up.
Sources: Morocco World News; Innovation Village; Developing Telecoms
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