莱索托一笔62亿美元的水电与人工智能数据中心交易成为该国历史上最大规模交易
2026年8月2日 美国东部时间早上6:00 / 福克斯新闻
作者：保罗·蒂尔斯利，福克斯新闻
NEW 您现在可以收听福克斯新闻的文章播报！
约翰内斯堡： 美国在非洲各地展开的激烈竞争中，正于数据中心这一高科技贸易领域击败中国。
特朗普政府与美国企业在非洲建立公私合作伙伴关系，敲定了多笔重大新交易，与此同时美国各州却因数据中心对电力的巨大依赖而对其加以限制。
国务院非洲事务局报告称，自唐纳德·特朗普总统第二任期开始以来，该局已促成37笔已完成的商业交易，总价值达256.7亿美元，目前还有更多交易正在申报中。
资源丰富国家在美中关键矿产竞赛中称赞美系纽带
美国康瓦尔能源公司将在莱索托建设的BESS电池储能设施效果图，该项目是美国政府协助促成的、美国公司与莱索托政府达成的62亿美元交易的一部分。（康瓦尔能源公司 供图）
数据中心是当今全球经济的核心——支撑着人工智能的巨大需求，承载从视频流媒体到云网络托管等各类业务。
在莱索托，在美国的帮助下，一家美国企业赢得了一笔价值62亿美元的数据中心和水电厂交易，这是这个南部非洲国家历史上最大的一笔交易。
2025年，美国驻加蓬大使馆帮助美国企业拿下了6亿美元的业务。今年，驻这个中非国家的大使馆协助争取到了一份价值1亿美元的合同，将供应两座数据中心和一座天然气发电厂，尽管面临来自中国的激烈竞争。
负责非洲事务的助理国务卿弗兰克·加西亚对福克斯新闻数字频道表示：“在特朗普总统的领导下，美国正在协助美国企业开拓新市场，并在非洲蓬勃发展。”
非洲的主要战略竞争对手是中国。根据美国贸易代表办公室的数据，去年美国与非洲的商品贸易额为834亿美元，而中国海关总署称，同期中非双边贸易额达到3480亿美元。
但加西亚指责中国给非洲国家开出的条件不公，他表示：“还有其他国家（尤其是中国）会设下陷阱、进行胁迫并破坏稳定。对我而言，选择很明确——与美国合作实现繁荣。”
美国康瓦尔能源公司将在莱索托建设的科邦抽水蓄能项目效果图，该项目是美国政府协助促成的、美国公司与莱索托政府达成的62亿美元交易的一部分。（康瓦尔能源公司 供图）
为推动这一倡议，国务院通过非洲事务局于2025年初启动了商业外交战略。加西亚对福克斯新闻数字频道表示，美国“正在全球范围内努力为美国企业争取公平竞争环境，并解决贸易实践中的不平等问题”。
莱索托的竞争环境并不公平：从地理上看，这是一个山地王国；从金融上看，中国在当地根深蒂固。北京方面已取消莱索托出口商品的所有关税，两国间的支付流程也已简化，莱索托民众可以直接在国有中国工商银行开户。
北京方面还免除了莱索托重大项目的债务，并在当地承建多个大型项目，包括新建一座消防站、一座太阳能发电厂，甚至还完成了一个警察指纹检验实验室的建设。
中国正在打造人工智能战争机器。美国必须在为时已晚之前觉醒
尽管面临这样的局面，在美国政府——主要是当地大使馆——的帮助下，美国企业康瓦尔能源还是成功与莱索托政府达成了一份价值62亿美元的协议，这一点尤为引人注目。
加西亚对福克斯新闻数字频道表示，该项目“包括一座1200兆瓦的抽水蓄能水电设施和一座900兆瓦的人工智能数据中心，将使莱索托的发电能力提升约1600%，并将该国转变为电力净出口国。该项目预计将为美国能源设备出口带来约20亿美元的收入”。
康瓦尔能源公司总裁兼首席执行官哈里·阿楚坦于2026年7月29日站在莱索托新建数据中心和泵站的选址现场。（康瓦尔能源公司 供图）
康瓦尔能源公司总裁兼首席执行官哈里·阿楚坦对福克斯新闻数字频道表示，像他这样的美国企业如何在传统上属于中国的地盘上击败对手：“美国企业可以通过更快的创新、软硬件整合，以及极度专注终端客户的需求，成功展开竞争。”
阿楚坦认为，新建数据中心不仅是该项目的核心，对任何国家的增长都至关重要。“下一轮经济增长周期将越来越多地由人工智能、数字基础设施以及支撑它们所需的能源系统驱动。没有实体基础设施，人工智能无法实现规模化。每一座数据中心都需要可靠的电力、水资源、光纤连接、土地、冷却系统和 resilient 输电基础设施。”
“特朗普政府强调贸易和私营部门投资，而非主要依赖赠款资金，这与我们在非洲的做法高度契合，”阿楚坦继续说道，“在莱索托，我们正在围绕长期投资、双边贸易以及持久、可持续的运营业务，打造一个商业上可持续的基础设施平台。”
“与此同时，”阿楚坦补充道，“该项目也能为美国创造实实在在的经济收益。康瓦尔在美国的制造工厂正在开发中，将服务国内客户和国际市场，尤其是非洲——那里对电力、制造产能和数字基础设施的需求正在快速增长。”
美国赛巴斯申公司在西非科特迪瓦规划的数据中心效果图。美国驻阿比让大使馆协助促成了与科特迪瓦政府的1.7亿美元合同，其中包括数据中心的供应。图片来源：（赛巴斯申公司 供图）
两座数据中心的建设是加西亚助理国务卿所称的、政府官员帮助美国企业赛巴斯申公司拿下的1亿美元交易的一部分。加西亚补充道：“值得注意的是，美国企业在该项目的直接竞争中击败了华为（一家中国公司）。”
赛巴斯申首席执行官蒂埃里·旺吉博士认为，美国企业能够而且现在已经崭露头角。本月早些时候，美国驻科特迪瓦大使馆确认了赛巴斯申的另一笔更大的交易。这份价值1.7亿美元的合同将为这个西非国家带来一座数据中心、政府数字化平台和一套尖端边境监视系统。
旺吉对福克斯新闻数字频道表示：“我们相信，与其他全球竞争对手相比，我们是更优选择。赛巴斯申对非洲的背景和当地商业环境有着独特的理解。”
美国赛巴斯申公司通过美国大使馆协助获得的1.7亿美元合同中，科特迪瓦新建数据中心的施工现场近期探访照片。（克莱门特·贾基 为赛巴斯申公司 供图）
“非洲拥有一些世界上增长最快的经济体，”旺吉继续说道，“在整个非洲大陆，各国都将主权数据中心建设、通过数字化升级政府服务以及数字劳动力发展纳入国家发展计划的优先事项。”
点击此处下载福克斯新闻应用程序
“美国科技行业的全球竞争力是任何国家都无法比拟的，”旺吉补充道，“我们在商业服务中交付创新、透明度和问责制，同时为美国企业开拓新市场。”
康瓦尔公司的阿楚坦对福克斯新闻数字频道谈到美国企业在非洲的制胜之道：“美国企业必须清晰地传达质量、透明度、安全、负责任的商业实践以及长期社区伙伴关系的价值。单纯依靠价格竞争已经不够了。美国企业应该凭借性能、可靠性、创新、制度信任以及创造可持续当地经济收益的能力展开竞争。”
保罗·蒂尔斯利是一名资深记者，三十多年来在四大洲进行报道。他常驻南非约翰内斯堡，可在X平台关注他：@paultilsley。
US companies win billions in African data center deals in direct competition with China
A $6.2B hydropower and AI data center deal in Lesotho marks the largest transaction in that country’s history
August 2, 2026 6:00am EDT / Fox News
By Paul Tilsley, Fox News
NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!
JOHANNESBURG:The U.S. is beating China in a high-tech trade war over data centers in a fierce battle being waged across Africa.
Major new deals have been engineered in a public-private partnership between the Trump administration and U.S. companies in Africa, while States across the U.S. clamp down on the centers over their massive reliance on electricity.
The administration’s Bureau of African Affairs has reported it has worked on 37 commercial transactions that have closed since the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term — representing $25.67 billion in total value, with more still being reported.
RESOURCE-RICH NATION PRAISES US TIES AMID WASHINGTON-BEIJING CRITICAL MINERALS RACE
A rendering of BESS battery storage facilities, to be constructed in Lesotho by U.S. company Convalt Energy, as part of a $6.2 billion deal with the government of Lesotho facilitated with the assistance of the U.S. government.(Convalt Energy)
Data centers are at the heart of today’s global economy — fueling the massive demand for AI and hosting everything from video streaming to housing cloud networks.
In Lesotho, with U.S. help, an American company has won a $6.2 billion deal for a data center and hydropower plant. It is the largest transaction in this Southern African country’s history.
In Gabon, the U.S. Embassy helped win $600 million in business for American companies in 2025. And this year, the embassy in this central African country has assisted in securing a $100 million contract to supply two data centers and a gas-to-power plant, in the face of strong competition from China.
Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Frank Garcia, told Fox News Digital, “Under President Trump’s leadership, the United States is assisting U.S. companies to find new markets and flourish in Africa.”
The main strategic competitor in Africa is China. While American goods traded with Africa last year were valued at $83.4 billion by the Office of the United States Trade Representative, Beijing’s General Administration of Customs claimed bilateral trade between China and Africa reached $348 billion for the same period.
But Garcia called out China for giving African countries a raw deal, saying “there are others (notably China) that trap, coerce and undermine. The choice to me is clear — partner with the United States for prosperity.”
Rendering of the Kobong, Lesotho Pumped Hydro project, which is to be constructed in Lesotho by U.S. company Convalt Energy, as part of a $6.2 billion deal with the government of Lesotho facilitated with the assistance of the U.S. government.(Convalt Energy)
To drive this initiative, the State Department, through the Bureau of African Affairs, launched the Commercial Diplomacy Strategy in early 2025, with Garcia telling Fox News Digital the U.S. “is working worldwide to advance a level playing field for U.S. companies and address disparities in trade practices.”
The playing fields in Lesotho are not level: Geographically because this is a mountain kingdom. Financially because China is historically deeply entrenched in life there. Beijing has dropped all tariffs on Lesotho’s exports. Payments between the two countries have been simplified, with Lesothans able to bank directly with the State-owned Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.
Beijing has canceled debt on major projects in Lesotho, and among other major projects is building a new fire station, a solar power plant and even completed a police fingerprint examination laboratory.
CHINA IS BUILDING AN AI WAR MACHINE. WASHINGTON MUST WAKE UP BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE
This makes it all the more remarkable that, with the administration’s help, primarily through the local embassy, U.S. company Convalt Energy has secured a $6.2 billion agreement with the government of Lesotho.
Garcia told Fox News Digital that the “project includes a 1,200MW pumped-storage hydropower facility and a 900MW AI data center, increasing Lesotho’s electricity generation capacity by approximately 1,600% and transforming the country into a net exporter of electricity. The project is expected to generate approximately $2 billion in U.S. energy equipment exports.”
Convalt Energy’s President & CEO, Hari Achuthan, is standing in Lesotho at the site of where the new data center and pumping station will stand. July 29, 2026.(Convalt Energy)
Convalt Energy’s President & CEO, Hari Achuthan, told Fox News Digital how U.S. companies such as his are beating China on their traditional turf “American companies can compete successfully by innovating faster, integrating hardware and software, and remaining intensely focused on the needs of the end customer.”
A new data center, Achuthan believes, is not only at the heart of the project, but is essential for any country’s growth. “The next major cycle of economic growth will increasingly be driven by artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure and the energy systems required to support them. AI cannot scale without physical infrastructure. Every data center requires reliable power, water, fiber connectivity, land, cooling systems and resilient transmission infrastructure.”
“The Trump administration’s emphasis on trade and private-sector investment, rather than relying primarily on grant funding, is closely aligned with our approach in Africa,” Achuthan continued. “In Lesotho, we are pursuing a commercially sustainable infrastructure platform built around long-term investment, bilateral trade with a durable, sustainable operating business.”
“At the same time,” Achuthan added, “the project can create meaningful economic benefits in the United States. Convalt’s U.S. manufacturing facilities are being developed to serve domestic customers as well as international markets, particularly Africa, where demand for power, manufacturing capacity and digital infrastructure is growing rapidly.”
Rendering of U.S. company Cybastion’s projected data center in the Ivory Coast, West Africa. The U.S. Embassy in Abidjan helped facilitate a $170m contract with the government of the Ivory Coast which includes the provision of the data center. Image credit:(Cybastion)
The construction of two data centers is part of the $100 million deal Assistant Secretary Garcia says administration officials have helped American company Cybastion secure. Garcia added, “notably, the U.S. company prevailed over Huawei (a Chinese company) in a direct competition for the project.”
Cybastion CEO Dr. Thierry Wandji believes U.S. companies can and are now coming to the fore. Earlier this month the U.S. embassy in the Ivory Coast confirmed an even larger deal for Cybastion. The $170 million contract will bring a data center, government digitalization platform and a cutting-edge border surveillance system to this West African country.
Wandji told Fox News Digital, “We believe we are the better option compared to other global competitors. Cybastion brings a unique understanding of the African context and local business environments.”
A recent site visit to the construction zone for a new data center in the Ivory Coast, which is part of a $170m contract facilitated by the U.S. Embassy for development by the U.S. company Cybastion.(Clement Djakey for Cybastion)
“Africa has some of the world’s fastest-growing economies,” Wandji continued. “Across the continent, countries are prioritizing sovereign data centers, modernizing their government services through digitalization, and digital workforce development as part of their national development plans.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“The U.S. tech sector offers global competitiveness unparalleled to any country in the world,” Wandji added. “We deliver innovation, transparency and accountability in our business offerings, while creating new markets for U.S. companies.”
Convalt’s Achuthan told Fox News Digital what’s working for U.S. business in Africa, “American companies must clearly communicate the value of quality, transparency, safety, responsible business practices and long-term community partnership. Competing solely on price is not enough going forward. Companies from the United States should compete on performance, reliability, innovation, institutional trust and the ability to create sustainable local economic benefits.”
Paul Tilsley is a veteran correspondent who has reported from four continents for more than three decades. Based in Johannesburg, South Africa, he can be followed on X @paultilsley.
发表回复