Country profile · Rank 92 of 108 · Emerging Upside
Uganda compute capacity
Uganda runs about 10 MW of live datacenter capacity as of 7 September 2026, a Gross Domestic Compute of under $1B (an estimate). Its identified energy resource could host about 13 GW of AI compute, a ceiling worth $800B to $1.0T at today's price of a gigawatt, about 16 times its $66B GDP. The bankable slice today, discounted mainly for governance and capital markets, is $70B, or $1,311 per person. Uganda is emerging upside, ranked 92 of 108 countries by unlockable value.
Key numbers
| Live datacenter capacity | 10 MW | IT capacity, mid-2026. Estimate: below the top 35 markets. |
|---|---|---|
| Live compute (GDC) | under $1B | Live GW × $50B, the central price of an AI factory. |
| Resource ceiling | 13 GW | Identified hydro, geothermal, solar, wind and surplus fossil resource. |
| Ceiling value | $800B to $1.0T | Ceiling GW × $60 to 80B per GW, NVIDIA's all-in figure. |
| Ceiling as a multiple of GDP | 16× | High end over nominal GDP of $66B (IMF). |
| Unlockable value | $70B | Firm untapped GW × $50B × readiness. The bankable slice. |
| Unlockable per person | $1,311 | IMF population, 2026. |
| Built | 16.3% | Hydro and geothermal already installed, over the ceiling. |
| Readiness | 48% | Eight-part discount. Binding: governance and capital markets. |
| Conversion score | 10 | 0 to 100. Unchanged since 19 Aug. |
| Tier | Emerging Upside | In between: a narrower gap, and a real one. |
| Rank | 92 of 108 | By unlockable value. 17 of 19 in Africa. |
Three numbers, one scale
Ceiling is what the endowment could host; unlockable is the slice underwriters would sign today; live compute is what runs. Drawn on one linear scale on purpose: the gap is the point.
Projects on the ground
No sovereign AI factory for Uganda is on the register yet. Announcements, contracts and stalls are tracked as reported; send one to the desk.
Africa: how Uganda compares
| # | Country | Unlockable | Live compute | Readiness | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 |  Ethiopia | $826B | $1.0B | 49% | Sleeping Giant |
| 17 |  Namibia | $776B | under $1B | 63% | Sleeping Giant |
| 20 |  Angola | $704B | $1.0B | 46% | Sleeping Giant |
| 21 |  DR Congo | $703B | under $1B | 35% | Sleeping Giant |
| 22 |  South Africa | $695B | $18B | 64% | Sleeping Giant |
| 31 |  Kenya | $533B | $3.0B | 60% | Sleeping Giant |
| 32 |  Madagascar | $529B | under $1B | 43% | Sleeping Giant |
| 33 |  Tanzania | $526B | $1.0B | 55% | Sleeping Giant |
| 34 |  Nigeria | $517B | $5.0B | 49% | Sleeping Giant |
| 35 |  Mozambique | $507B | under $1B | 43% | Sleeping Giant |
| 39 |  Sudan | $369B | under $1B | 23% | Sleeping Giant |
| 52 |  Zambia | $296B | under $1B | 51% | Sleeping Giant |
| 54 |  Botswana | $284B | under $1B | 65% | Primed |
| 77 |  Cameroon | $174B | under $1B | 40% | Sleeping Giant |
| 85 |  Zimbabwe | $130B | under $1B | 40% | Sleeping Giant |
| 91 |  Ghana | $81B | $1.5B | 60% | Emerging Upside |
| 92 | Uganda | $70B | under $1B | 48% | Emerging Upside |
| 93 |  Guinea | $66B | under $1B | 36% | Emerging Upside |
| 107 |  Rwanda | $8.0B | under $1B | 62% | Emerging Upside |
What compute costs right now
The price of the silicon a country would host, from the tape. Labeled buy-now prints from named venues.
Questions people ask
How much data center capacity does Uganda have?
Uganda runs about 10 MW of live datacenter IT capacity as of 7 Sep 2026, an estimate: country totals below the top 35 markets are estimated. Valued at $50B per gigawatt, that is a Gross Domestic Compute of under $1B.
What is Uganda's compute net worth?
The ceiling is $800B to $1.0T: 13 GW of identified hydro, geothermal, solar, wind and surplus fossil resource valued at $60 to 80B per gigawatt, NVIDIA's all-in figure for an AI factory. That is 16 times Uganda's $66B GDP. The bankable slice today, after a readiness discount of 48%, is $70B.
What holds Uganda back from converting its energy into compute?
Readiness scores 48% on an eight-part discount stack (governance, stability, GPU access, grid, fiber, momentum, physical conditions and capital access). For Uganda the binding discounts are governance and capital markets. It has built 16.3% of its ceiling as generating capacity, and its conversion score is 10 of 100.
How does Uganda compare with its neighbours?
Uganda ranks 92 of 108 countries by unlockable value, and 17 of 19 in Africa. The regional leader is Ethiopia at $826B unlockable and $1.0B of live compute.
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