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Tag: Teraco

  • Teraco’s R8 billion JB7 data centre to revamp Africa’s digital infrastructure

    Teraco’s R8 billion JB7 data centre to revamp Africa’s digital infrastructure

    Teraco, a leading provider of interconnection platforms and vendor-neutral colocation data centres in Africa, has officially commenced construction on its JB7 hyperscale data centre at its Isando Campus in Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg, South Africa. The new facility, with a capacity of 40 megawatts (MW) of critical power, will significantly enhance Teraco’s role in Africa’s digital ecosystem.

    The JB7 development, part of Teraco’s strategy to expand its footprint in sub-Saharan Africa, comes when demand for digital infrastructure across the continent is on the rise. With an investment valued at R8 billion (approximately USD 442 million), the data centre will cater to growing needs for scalable and interconnected infrastructure across multiple industries.

    Read also: Africa Tech Festival 2024: South Africa unveils AI institute to lead digital transformation

    A sustainable vision for data centre operations

    Incorporating advanced sustainable technologies, JB7 will feature innovative cooling and water management systems to minimise energy and water consumption. The facility’s design emphasises energy efficiency, with cutting-edge cooling technologies such as a closed-loop chilled water system and free-air cooling for data halls. These green initiatives are part of Teraco’s broader commitment to responsible, sustainable operations.

    Jan Hnizdo, CEO of Teraco, highlighted that South Africa’s advanced infrastructure has made it the technology and data centre hub for sub-Saharan Africa, with the country now a key gateway for global cloud services. He added, “Massive global investments into undersea cables, like Equiano and 2Africa, further strengthen this position. This will enable global cloud providers to service not only South Africa but the entire sub-Saharan African region.”

    Expanding Teraco’s network and connectivity

    JB7 is the latest addition to Teraco’s growing network, which already includes the Isando Campus—one of Africa’s most interconnected data centre locations. The facility will offer direct access to Platform Teraco, Africa’s largest internet exchange point, NAPAfrica, and network providers. This will facilitate low-latency, high-performance connections for businesses operating across industries, including finance, e-commerce, and entertainment.

    Samuel Erwin, Teraco’s Chief Financial Officer, emphasised the strong support from local institutional investors for the company’s projects, noting that “the new syndication was well oversubscribed, reflecting confidence in our data centre platform, growth path, and ESG initiatives.”

    Read also: Liberia’s Tuma Enterprises, Korea’s Vision Group sign MoU to close Africa’s digital gap with affordable smartphones

    Powering Africa’s digital future

    The JB7 data centre is strategically positioned to support Africa’s growing cloud computing needs, with Teraco investing in renewable energy to power its facilities. This includes a 120MW solar PV generation plant that will feed into the national grid. Erwin added, “We have a unique opportunity in South Africa to integrate renewable energy generation into the provision of data centre infrastructure to support continued, sustainable digital advancement.”

    Teraco’s investment in JB7 underscores the company’s role in accelerating Africa’s digital transformation by providing state-of-the-art, scalable data infrastructure. As cloud computing, AI, and other technologies continue to reshape industries, Teraco’s facilities are poised to remain at the heart of Africa’s digital economy.

  • Teraco to power data centres with renewable energy

    Teraco to power data centres with renewable energy

    Teraco, a digital realty company and Africa’s largest interconnection hub and vendor-neutral data centre provider has announced a groundbreaking project to build a 120MW utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) energy facility in the Free State province of South Africa. 

    The project will enable Teraco to power its data centres across the country with clean and reliable energy, reducing its carbon footprint and enhancing its sustainability.

    The project is made possible by securing the first grid capacity allocation from Eskom, the state-owned electricity utility, which allows Teraco to connect its planned 120MW solar facility to the national electrical grid. The power generated will be wheeled across Eskom and municipal power networks to Teraco’s facilities in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban.

    Read also: Teraco unveils plans for 30MW expansion in SA

    “This allocation is a significant step towards meeting our renewable energy ambitions and those of our clients. It is also only the first phase of our longer-term renewable energy commitment. We have been on a long journey over the last few years to obtain these approvals, and our aim now is to execute quickly on the opportunity,” says Jan Hnizdo, CEO at Teraco.

    Addressing energy challenges and powering digital transformation

    The project comes at a time when South Africa is facing various energy challenges, such as load shedding, rising tariffs, and environmental concerns. By investing in renewable energy, Teraco aims to meet its near-term renewable energy goals while adding additional power capacity to a generation-constrained grid. This will also reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and lower its operating costs.

    “This will be a unique approach in Africa since Teraco will not only own its data centre facilities but also a significant renewable energy source with which to power them, creating a sustainable energy path to support growth. This initiative aligns with Teraco’s long-term vision of powering digital transformation across Africa. South Africa’s solar resource is a source of competitive advantage for data centres relative to other locations,” Hnizdo adds.

    Teraco is the leading provider of highly resilient, vendor-neutral data environments in sub-Saharan Africa, offering customers access to a network-dense ecosystem of over 300 cloud, content, and network providers. Teraco is majority-owned by Digital Realty, a global leader in data centre solutions, with a continuing interest maintained by a consortium of private equity investors.

    Achieving 100% clean energy goal and partnering with JUWI and Subsolar

    When fully operational, the 120MW solar PV plant is expected to produce more than 338 000MWh annually, enough to power over 100,000 households. “This PV project represents a massive component of our plan to achieve our 100% clean energy goal,” says Bryce Allan, Head of Sustainability at Teraco. “In addition to this project, over the past two years, Teraco has deployed approximately 6MW of roof-top solar integrated into its facilities, and this is to be increased to 10MW as new facilities become operational.” As part of construction design, Teraco facilities are built to maximise their solar yield potential.

    Teraco has partnered with JUWI Renewable Energies South Africa and Subsolar to develop the 120MW solar PV plant, with JUWI appointed to design and manage the procurement, construction, and commissioning. In a first for Teraco, a green loan has been raised to finance the building of the plant. Choosing the right partners has been crucial to delivering on Teraco’s renewable energy strategy and vision.

    Wheeling renewable energy across electrical grids

    Wheeling renewable energy across electrical grids is a novel concept that enables power to be moved from a renewable energy producer in outlying areas via existing transmission and distribution systems to end-users located in urban areas. It also enables the deployment of renewable energy projects to areas with high energy yield to maximise renewable energy generation potential.

    Teraco’s project is expected to be a catalyst for more renewable energy projects in South Africa and the continent, as well as a model for other data centre operators to follow. By harnessing the power of the sun, Teraco is demonstrating its commitment to a greener and more resilient future for Africa’s digital economy.

  • Teraco unveils plans for 30MW expansion in SA

    Teraco unveils plans for 30MW expansion in SA

    Teraco, the largest interconnection hub and vendor-neutral data centre provider in Africa, has unveiled plans for a 30MW expansion of its CT2 hyperscale data centre facility in Brackenfell, Cape Town, South Africa. The expansion, scheduled for completion in early 2025, reflects Teraco’s commitment to addressing the escalating demand for data centre capacity from enterprise customers and hyperscale cloud providers. This move aligns with Teraco’s broader vision of driving digital transformation across the African continent.

    Read also: Africa Data Centre constructs largest Data facility in West Africa

    Strategic Addition to Platform Teraco

    Jan Hnizdo, CEO at Teraco, emphasized the strategic significance of the new CT2 facility, describing it as a valuable addition to Platform Teraco. The expansion aims to provide enterprises with a scalable platform for IT infrastructure deployment, ensuring performance, reliability, stringent security, and a wide array of carrier and network service providers. This approach is pivotal in establishing a robust interconnection strategy to support Africa’s evolving digital landscape.

    The construction of CT2 Phase 2 has already commenced, with the additional capacity expected to be available in the first quarter of 2025. The expansion includes four data halls of 5.3MW, two data halls of 3.1MW, and two more data halls of 2.2MW. Spanning three levels upon completion, the entire CT2 facility is projected to support a total IT load of 50MW. This expansion significantly contributes to Teraco’s growing data centre platform.

    As part of Teraco’s Cape Town Campus, CT2 is interconnected with CT1 through diverse fibre routes. This direct linkage provides enterprises with access to Platform Teraco, an ecosystem encompassing over 250 network providers, global cloud on-ramps, subsea cable systems, managed service providers, and direct peering at NAPAfrica—Africa’s largest internet exchange point. Clients in these facilities gain direct connectivity to AWS Direct Connect and Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute or through Teraco’s Africa Cloud Exchange.

    Cape Town’s Significance in Digital Connectivity

    Cape Town, as one of Africa’s most digitally connected cities, is a logical destination for Teraco’s continued investment in data centre infrastructure. The city hosts a thriving digital landscape, including telecommunications, financial services, e-commerce, logistics, and retail sectors. Its strategic location at the southern tip of Africa positions it as a convergence point for major subsea cable systems like Equiano, ACE, WACS, and SAT-3/SAFE, with the imminent landing of the 2AFRICA cable system.

    Sustainability and Environmental Considerations

    CT2 has been designed with a focus on sustainability, incorporating state-of-the-art cooling designs with a closed-loop chilled water system for 100% free air cooling. This environmentally conscious approach aims to achieve industry-leading Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) while minimizing energy consumption and eliminating water usage in the ongoing cooling process.

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    Teraco’s Overall Data Centre Capacity

    With the completion of CT2 expansion, Teraco’s overall data centre capacity reaches 185MW across various facilities, including Isando Campus JB1/JB3/JB5 (70MW), Bredell Campus JB2/JB4 (64MW), Cape Town Campus CT1/CT2 (50MW), and Durban (1MW). This extensive infrastructure supports organizations in dynamically scaling their IT infrastructure, adopting hybrid multi-cloud architectures, and fostering strategic collaborations within the Platform Teraco ecosystem.

    Significance of Teraco’s Expansion

    Teraco’s expansion of the CT2 hyperscale data centre in Cape Town signifies a pivotal step in meeting the growing demand for data centre services in Africa. With a focus on sustainability, connectivity, and scalability, Teraco continues to play a crucial role in advancing digital transformation across the continent. The strategic investment in Cape Town reflects the city’s prominence in digital connectivity and positions Teraco as a key player in Africa’s evolving technology landscape.