Joburg gets a huge new data centre

Business Tech reports that the parent company of Dimension Data, NTT, has inaugurated a sizable 6,000-square-metre data centre in Johannesburg, South Africa.

When fully constructed, the Johannesburg 1 Data Center, which is a part of NTT’s expansion into Africa, will have a 12MW capacity and 6,000 square metres of IT space.

Using NTT’s entire ICT stack, including managed hybrid cloud, network management, collaboration, security, and application monitoring, the facility will serve hyperscalers and businesses.

N+1 uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems, N+1 backup generators, and highly redundant cooling systems support the technical infrastructure.

“This will provide clients with dedicated sustainable infrastructure, operational control and the design flexibility required to support their high-performance needs,” the NTT group said.

The new facility uses air-cooled chillers and a closed-loop chilled water system, which prevents evaporation of the water passing through the cooling systems. In addition to enabling the data centre to achieve low power usage effectiveness (PUE) and water usage effectiveness (WUE), it said that this also lessens the risk of potential drought water restrictions.

Over the following few years, the group said, it intends to grow its network of data centres in Johannesburg.

“Africa is experiencing a digital boom, with a population expected to double by 2050. Estimates show that 615 million users in sub-Saharan Africa will subscribe to mobile services by 2025, a 24% increase from 2020,” the NTT group said.