Africa Data Centres expands by 20 megawatts to meet cloud, AI demand
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA—Africa Data Centres (ADC), the largest network data center facility in Africa, is increasing its hyperscale data center capacity in South Africa by an additional 20 megawatts (MW).
This expansion will boost its total capacity across three facilities to 50MW, meeting the rising demand for cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) services in the region.
The company operates three facilities in Midrand, Centurion, and Cape Town, with a fourth facility (CPT2) under construction in Cape Town.
ADC’s interim CEO, Finhai Munzara, emphasized that the expansion is driven by the needs of a diverse client base that includes cloud providers, financial institutions, and hyperscalers.
“We’ve grown to hundreds of clients across the three data centers that rely on our services,” Munzara stated. “They are a combination of cloud providers, internet service providers, financial services firms, retail industry firms, as well as hyperscalers.”
New Cape Town facility to enhance scalability
ADC’s ongoing construction of its CPT2 facility in Cape Town is part of its broader strategy to expand its footprint in South Africa. The new facility will feature a modular design that allows for rapid scalability based on demand. This follows the recent upgrade of the CPT1 facility in July 2024, which added 6MW of IT load capacity.
The company’s expansion is not limited to South Africa. ADC is also growing its presence across Africa with data centers in Kenya and Nigeria. Additionally, plans are underway for new facilities in Rwanda, Togo, and Ghana.
Renewable energy strategy
In line with global trends toward sustainability, ADC has signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with DPA Southern Africa to establish a solar farm in the Free State. This renewable energy project will power ADC’s Cape Town data centers and eventually extend to its Johannesburg facilities.
“Our renewable strategy is heavily geared towards South Africa because SA’s energy grid is carbon-intensive,” explained Munzara. “We are looking to get to a point where we are green as a data center overall.”
Job creation and safety milestones
ADC’s expansion has also contributed significantly to job creation. During peak construction periods, up to 500 direct jobs were generated at a single site. Moreover, the company has achieved an impressive safety record with three million hours of injury-free construction work.
“We are quite proud of our job creation efforts,” said Munzara. “It’s one area where we play our part in creating income opportunities.”
Increased competition in South Africa’s data center market
ADC’s expansion comes as other global players like Teraco, Equinix, and hyperscalers such as Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure continue to grow their presence in South Africa’s data center market.
The country’s strategic location at the southern tip of Africa makes it an attractive hub for regional and international connectivity.
