Data Centre Expansion Complete by Teraco, Establishing Africa's Biggest Standalone Data Centre
Teraco Expands JB4 Data Centre in South Africa, Creating Africa's Largest Standalone Data Centre
Teraco, a Digital Realty Company, has completed the expansion of its JB4 Bredell Campus data centre in Ekurhuleni, East of Johannesburg, South Africa. The recent expansion has brought the facility to 50MW of critical IT power load, making it Africa's largest standalone data centre.
The expansion added 30MW through six new data halls, each supporting 5MW of allocated critical IT power load. These new data halls are equipped with a zero-water closed loop cooling system and specialised monitoring technology to improve energy efficiency.
Key features of the JB4 expansion include hyperscale and AI workload readiness with liquid-to-liquid cooling technology that supports high-density cloud deployments and direct-to-chip cooling for dense AI workloads. The data centre also features a closed-loop chilled water system with free air cooling, combined with AI-enabled real-time configuration of data hall cooling to optimize energy efficiency and minimize water use.
The data centre is built to stringent global hyperscale specifications and incorporates sustainable design elements focused on power usage effectiveness (PUE). It is a secure platform for IT infrastructure deployment, delivering high performance, reliability, and access to the broadest range of carriers and network service providers.
JB4 is situated in Bredell, Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, South Africa. The campus covers approximately 80,000 m² of building structure, with 14 data halls spanning around 17,000 m² of technical space dedicated to delivering 50MW of IT power load. The site benefits from proximity to established fiber networks and submarine cable links, making Johannesburg a key tech hub for the continent.
| Aspect | Details | |------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Location | Bredell, Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, South Africa | | Total Critical IT Power | 50MW (including 30MW added in latest expansion) | | Number of Data Halls | 14 total, including 6 new halls each at 5MW critical IT power load | | Size | 80,000 m² building structure with 17,000 m² technical space | | Cooling Technology | Liquid-to-liquid cooling, closed-loop chilled water system with free air cooling, AI-enabled cooling optimization | | Key Features | Hyperscale and AI-ready, sustainability-focused design, advanced energy and water efficiency |
This expansion positions Teraco’s JB4 as a flagship data centre capable of handling hyperscale, AI, and big data workloads, supporting South Africa's growing digital economy and cloud adoption. South Africa has become the technology and data centre hub for sub-Saharan Africa, acting as a springboard for cloud, AI, and content provision into Africa, with massive global investments in undersea cables such as Equiano and 2Africa further strengthening this position.
References: [1] Teraco [2] JB4 Bredell Campus Data Centre Expansion [3] Digital Realty [4] TechCentral [5] ITWeb Africa
