Africa Data Centres doubles capacity in Cape Town with 6MW expansion

Africa Data Centres has doubled the capacity of its Cape Town facility, adding 6 megawatts of IT load in a significant expansion of its CPT1 data centre. The move, announced on 25 July 2024, responds to surging demand for co-location services in South Africa’s burgeoning tech hub.

The expansion introduces three new halls to the campus, including two colocation spaces and one hyperscale hall. This addition brings 1,000 racks of white space, effectively doubling the facility’s current capacity. The project was supported by a loan of up to $300 million from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC).

Hardy Pemhiwa, President and Group CEO of Cassava Technologies, the parent company of Africa Data Centres, said, “This expansion by Africa Data Centres is in response to the increasing demand for co-location capacity in South Africa. Not only is Cape Town the second largest economy in South Africa, but it is also the de facto software and technology hub in Southern Africa.”

The expansion employs Africa Data Centres’ signature modular design, allowing for rapid scalability to meet evolving customer needs. The new halls maintain the company’s high security standards while prioritising flexibility and energy efficiency.

A standout feature of the expanded facility is its hybrid cooling technology, capable of handling both air and liquid cooling. The data centre boasts impressive sustainability credentials, running on renewable energy and achieving a Water Usage Effectiveness of zero for its IT infrastructure.

In a pioneering move for the African market, the CPT1 facility utilises wheeled solar power, enabled through a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement with Distributed Power Africa, another Cassava Technologies company.

Finhai Munzara, Interim CEO of Africa Data Centres, highlighted the significance of this innovation: “The introduction of wheeled solar power at the CPT1 facility offers significant benefits to our customers, providing a truly sustainable data centre solution. As the demand for data continues to skyrocket across Africa, a continent where power supply is often intermittent, the need for reliable, cost-effective, and green power has never been more critical.”

The facility’s strategic location near submarine cable landing stations enhances its appeal. It also houses the Cape Town Internet Exchange (CINX), facilitating efficient multi-region peering and improving network performance.

This expansion is part of Africa Data Centres’ broader investment strategy to increase its footprint across the continent, solidifying its position as a leading provider of interconnected, carrier and cloud-neutral data centre facilities in Africa.

The move reflects the growing importance of Cape Town as a tech hub and underscores the increasing demand for data centre services in South Africa. As digital transformation accelerates across the continent, such expansions are likely to become more frequent, supporting Africa’s digital economy growth.

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