NTT opens its first data centre in Africa
This new site marks NTT’s first branch in the African continent, and it comes at a pivotal moment for Africa, as the region experiences a period of immense digital advancement.
The details of NTT’s new African data centre
The new data centre is located in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Once complete, it will have a capacity of 12MW covering 6,000 sqm. The site is designed for the use of both hyperscalers and enterprises.
The technical infrastructure is supported by N+1 uninterruptible power supply systems (UPS) and N+1 generator backup.
The new facility has been designed with local conditions in mind, with a closed-loop chilled water system featuring air-cooled chillers, which will help to prevent the water running through the cooling systems from evaporating, thereby enabling the site to achieve high efficiencies in both water and energy usage.
The facility will give clients the opportunity to use NTT’s full ICT stack of services, including managed hybrid cloud, network management, collaboration, security and application monitoring.
Africa’s digital transformation
This development comes at a time of immense and rapid digital transformation for the African continent.
In fact, estimates predict that Africa’s digital economy, which is currently worth $115bn, will increase to $712bn by 2050 - six times its current value.
Alongside this, Africa’s population is expected to double by 2050.
Current predictions show that 615 million users in sub-Saharan Africa will subscribe to mobile services by 2025, a 24% increase from 2020.
Utilising this period of growth, NTT plans to accelerate its data centre footprint in Johannesburg and other key African cities over the next few years.
“We’re incredibly proud to be investing in Johannesburg and extending our global data centre footprint to South Africa,” commented Florian Winkler, CEO, Global Data Centers EMEA, NTT.
“The country forms a significant part of NTT’s growth strategy as we continue to support Africa’s digital transformation. The opening of Johannesburg 1 will contribute towards the economic growth and social development of the region, as our clients shape the country of tomorrow.”
“Our presence in Africa is underpinned by the significant digital change we’re seeing across the continent,” adds Michael Abendanon, Head of MEA, Global Data Centers EMEA, NTT.
“Companies providing new digital services need data centre space with high power density, global connectivity, carrier neutrality, cloud network access, and on-site support to ensure they can continue to grow.”
