Econet Infrastructure Company Limited (InfraCo) is accelerating the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) to improve energy efficiency and overall operations.
This has been a key strategy in the company's operations for the half-year ended 31 August 2026, whose results the Victoria Falls Stock Exchange-listed integrated infrastructure and real estate company released on Thursday.
Godfrey Gomwe, chairman of InfraCo, said that, in response to the prevailing energy-cost environment, the company was accelerating initiatives to advance energy efficiency and reduce its reliance on diesel-generated power.
A key thrust is the increased solarisation of sites, supported by the deployment of AI-enabled fuel-management solutions to optimise diesel consumption, identify inefficiencies and strengthen monitoring and control.
The underlying tool, AI Fuel Mode, was developed with sister company Cassava Compute, which operates an NVIDIA-powered AI supercomputer in Cape Town, and InfraCo says it is the first tower operator globally to deploy an AI solution specifically aimed at managing diesel consumption this way.
"These initiatives are expected to improve the resilience and efficiency of the Tower portfolio, while progressively lowering energy-related operating costs and supporting InfraCo's broader sustainability objectives," Gomwe said.
He said that, with technology and innovation remaining central to InfraCo's operating model, the company had expanded the use of AI during the period in predictive generator maintenance, fuel optimisation and infrastructure reliability management, focusing deployment on applications that can improve operating efficiency and service continuity.
The phased rollout of the AI Fuel Manager is expected to deliver lower energy consumption and improved site uptime.
Gomwe said that, simultaneously, development continued on the company's AI-enabled Remote Monitoring System and digital Twin initiatives, intended to strengthen operational visibility, enhance asset performance and improve infrastructure reliability across the network.
During the half-year period, the PowerCo segment continued to implement initiatives aimed at optimising energy consumption and improving operational efficiency.
Gomwe said that, through a combination of site solarisation, AI-enabled fuel management, advanced battery-cycling technologies and periods of improved national grid availability, the business achieved a 30% reduction in fuel consumption during the period under review.
Construction of the first phase of the planned 100MW solar farm at Econet Tech City commenced during the reporting period, with initial power generation expected in the fourth quarter. Tech City is an 800-acre modern industrial and technology hub near the capital, Harare.
ITWeb Africa reported in July that InfraCo had made similar progress in its first quarterly update since listing, deploying 90 new base stations and expanding the same AI Fuel Manager, Remote Monitoring System and Digital Twin tools referenced in this half-year update, alongside the start of the Econet Tech City solar farm.
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