Africa Data Centres, a subsidiary of Cassava Technologies, has announced a significant expansion of its CPT1 facility in Cape Town. The expansion includes the addition of three new halls and an additional 6MW of IT load, effectively doubling the centre’s current capacity. This development has been supported by a loan of up to $300 million from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC).
The expansion will provide space for 1,000 racks, enhancing the centre’s ability to meet the growing demand for colocation capacity in South Africa. Cape Town, recognized as a key technology hub in Southern Africa, is witnessing increasing interest from both national and international cloud and IT service providers.
Hardy Pemhiwa, President & Group CEO of Cassava Technologies, highlighted the importance of this expansion, noting its role in supporting the region’s technology infrastructure. The project has received support from the Ministry of ICT, the Western Cape Provincial Government, and the Western Cape Department of Economic Development.
The new halls, designed with Africa Data Centres’ modular approach, offer flexibility and scalability to accommodate varying customer needs. The facility emphasizes energy efficiency, featuring hybrid cooling technology and being powered by renewable energy. It boasts a Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) of 0 and a highly impressive Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) rating.
The CPT1 facility is also pioneering the use of wheeled solar power in Africa, facilitated by a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement with Distributed Power Africa. This innovation underscores the centre’s commitment to sustainability, ensuring reliable and green power supply, crucial in a region with intermittent power availability.
Finhai Munzara, Interim CEO of Africa Data Centres, emphasized the benefits of the CPT1 facility’s location near submarine cable landing stations and the presence of the Cape Town Internet Exchange (CINX). These features enhance multi-region peering and reduce latency, offering a more efficient and responsive online experience for users.
The expansion of the CPT1 facility is part of Africa Data Centres’ broader strategy to increase its data centre capacity across the continent, supporting the growing digital infrastructure needs of the region.
