Massive new data centre opens in Joburg

·26 Oct 2022

Dimension Data parent company NTT has opened a massive 6,000 square metre data centre in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The Johannesburg 1 Data Center is part of NTT’s expansion into the African continent with a capacity of 12MW covering 6,000 square metres of IT space once fully built out.

The facility will cater to hyperscalers and enterprises, using NTT’s full ICT stack of services, including managed hybrid cloud, network management, collaboration, security, and application monitoring.

The technical infrastructure is supported by N+1 uninterruptible power supply systems (UPS), N+1 generator backup, and highly redundant cooling systems.

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

The new facility uses a closed-loop chilled water system with air-cooled chillers, meaning that the water running through the cooling systems isn’t evaporated. This reduces the threat of potential drought water restrictions and allows the data centre to achieve low power usage effectiveness (PUE) and water usage effectiveness (WUE), it said.

The group said that it plans to expand its data centre network in Johannesburg over the next few years.

“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 group said.

“This growth and reliance on technology is fueling digital transformation initiatives and demand for high-performing data centre space. NTT is planning to accelerate its data centre footprint in Johannesburg and other African cities to support this growth over the next several years.”