Africa Data Centres, a subsidiary of Cassava Technologies, has announced a significant expansion of its CPT1 facility in Cape Town. The expansion, supported by a loan of up to $300 million from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), will add 1,000 racks of white space, effectively doubling the facility’s capacity.
The expansion includes the addition of three new state-of-the-art halls, comprising two colocation data halls and one hyperscale hall, bringing an extra 6MW of IT load to the campus.
The President & Group CEO of Cassava Hardy Pemhiwa, , emphasized the strategic importance of the expansion, stating, “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.”
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ADC has seen a surge in demand for data center services in South Africa, driven by national and international cloud and IT service providers looking to establish or expand their presence in the region. The new halls are designed with a modular approach, allowing for rapid scalability and flexibility to meet customer needs.
The expansion also underscores the company’s commitment to sustainability. The new facilities will feature advanced security measures, energy efficiency, and hybrid cooling technology capable of handling both air and liquid cooling.
The facility boasts a Water Usage Effectiveness of 0, meaning no water is consumed for IT infrastructure, and it maintains an impressive Power Usage Effectiveness rating. The expansion includes the introduction of wheeled solar power, a first for Africa, facilitated by a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Distributed Power Africa, another Cassava Technologies entity.
The interim CEO of Africa Data Centres Finhai Munzara, , highlighted the environmental benefits of the CPT1 facility, stating, “By harnessing renewable energy, the CPT1 facility not only ensures consistent power supply but also supports sustainable operations, helping customers achieve their environmental goals. Our state-of-the-art facility reduces reliance on non-renewable energy sources, setting a new standard for sustainability in the data centre industry.”
Cape Town’s strategic location near submarine cable landing stations and the Cape Town Internet Exchange (CINX) enhances the facility’s attractiveness for colocation services, offering low-latency, high-efficiency data connectivity.
The expansion marks a significant step in Africa Data Centres’ broader strategy to increase its data center capacity across the continent. “This expansion increases the capacity of the company’s data centres in South Africa and is an integral part of our investment plans to deliver several additional data facilities across the continent,” added Munzara.
