Stefano Resi of Nokia highlights South Africa’s strengths, challenges and future role in Africa’s expanding data centre landscape

Stefano Resi, head of Data Centre sales for Middle East and Africa at Nokia, sharing insights into South Africa’s leadership role in Africa’s evolving data centre ecosystem, its unique advantages, current challenges and the road ahead for digital infrastructure across the continent

South Africa has long been a digital powerhouse on the continent, but as infrastructure demand accelerates, its role is expanding in new and significant ways.

With more than 30 million sq km, 54 countries and over 1.5 billion people, Africa represents a complex digital ecosystem—not a singular market. It is home to rising data centre activity in Nigeria, Kenya, Djibouti, Morocco and Egypt, but South Africa continues to stand apart.

According to Stefano Resi, “South Africa stands out because it is the only country connecting the two oceans and it serves as the gateway to the entire sub-Saharan region.”

But it is not just about geography. “Location alone does not define leadership,” Resi explained. “What sets the country apart is its mature legal framework, education system, and accessible business environment. These factors all contribute to an ecosystem primed for digital innovation.”

South Africa’s position as a key landing point for major undersea cables such as 2Africa and Equiano enhances its connectivity, while cities like Johannesburg and Cape Town are becoming magnets for hyperscale and colocation developments.

“These factors combine to make South Africa a fertile environment for large-scale data centre investment,” added Resi. “Already, Johannesburg and Cape Town are hosting an expanding constellation of high-capacity facilities.”

Data centre design has also evolved. While earlier models focused on simple storage and compute, modern facilities are driven by hyperscalers like AWS, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure. Traffic now flows heavily within the data centre (east-west), requiring intelligent switching, dynamic architecture and automation.

This transformation aligns with the rise of latency-sensitive services such as augmented reality, industrial IoT and autonomous systems—services that demand a new kind of infrastructure.

“South Africa, with its dispersed urban centres and vast geography, is uniquely positioned to build a tiered architecture of core and edge data centres,” Resi explained. “These smaller edge facilities will be critical to delivering low-latency services to end users across the country.”

Yet, power instability remains a persistent challenge. Data centres consume vast amounts of electricity, and South Africa’s energy volatility poses a threat.

“Power is the Achilles heel of the digital (r)evolution in South Africa,” noted Resi. “However, this challenge can become an opportunity by accelerating the adoption of green energy sources. There needs to be a national-level commitment to energy stability if we are to meet future AI-driven demand.”

The industry must also prepare for the impact of AI. Unlike traditional workloads, AI applications require new cooling, hardware and networking standards.

“AI will reshape how we design data centres,” concluded Resi. “Inference and learning workloads place different demands on hardware, cooling, layout and obviously new network design and specifications.”

He believes South Africa will remain a central pillar in Africa’s digital transformation. “In a first phase by providing directly the data centre infrastructure for less digitalized countries, however in a second phase, when these countries will be accelerating their digital path, South Africa will continue to be the Hub and the guiding reference for the continent’s digital Agenda.”

CrossBoundary Energy is powering the project's first sites with solar PV, battery, and generator solutions, providing 99.9% uptime while reducing fossil fuel emissions. (Image source: CrossBoundary Energy)

Zoodlabs, a telecommunications company based in Sierra Leone, has announced that it is using renewable energy to support the deployment of one of the country’s first 5G data networks

The announcement was made during the Digital Government Summit held in Freetown.

As part of this initiative, CrossBoundary Energy is providing clean energy infrastructure for the initial rollout, which includes a mix of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, battery storage, and generator backup systems. These solutions are designed to deliver 99.9% uptime while simultaneously cutting down on emissions from fossil fuels. CrossBoundary Energy is also financing five of the towers to accelerate deployment.

Oliver Benham, director of operations for telecom solutions at CrossBoundary Energy, explained, “Our solution is designed to maximize uptime whilst increasing renewable energy penetration and minimising diesel generator usage. The effect is that telecom operators like Zoodlabs have a reliable, affordable, and cleaner way of powering their network that does not rely on utility energy supply or fossil fuels.”

The introduction of 5G technology is set to dramatically improve data speeds, reduce latency, and enhance device connectivity across Sierra Leone. With broadband penetration currently at just 20.7%, this wireless rollout will bypass the need for traditional cable infrastructure, helping bridge the digital divide for individuals and enterprises in the capital city.

David Kapkima, CEO at Zoodlabs, noted, “5G is not just about faster phones—it’s a foundational technology for smart cities, autonomous vehicles, remote healthcare, and businesses that rely on IoT. CrossBoundary Energy’s specialised knowledge in solar energy solutions has enabled Zoodlabs to power this infrastructure sustainably.”

The first 5G towers have already been installed in Freetown, and Zoodlabs plans to extend the network’s reach across the rest of Sierra Leone in future phases.

Vertiv introduces CoolChip CDU range to boost AI, HPC cooling across EMEA data centres. (Image source: Vertiv)

Vertiv has announced the expansion of its CoolChip CDU product line with the launch of three new models—CoolChip CDU 70, CoolChip CDU 100, and CoolChip CDU 600—across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa

These direct-to-chip liquid cooling solutions strengthen Vertiv’s offering in AI and high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure. The CoolChip CDU 600 will be unveiled for the first time in EMEA at the Datacloud Global Congress in Cannes this week.

“As workloads continue to drive higher rack densities and cooling demands, customers need liquid cooling solutions that adapt to their unique deployment strategies, whether retrofitting an existing environment or scaling a new build,” said Sam Bainborough, vice-president, EMEA thermal business at Vertiv. “The CoolChip CDU family offers flexible, scalable solutions that simplify deployment and support long-term growth. By reducing integration complexity and adapting to a range of data centre environments, these CDUs help organisations scale liquid cooling more efficiently.”

Why liquid cooling?

The new models are designed for both retrofit and greenfield environments and include in-rack and row-based configurations with liquid-to-air and liquid-to-liquid technology options. These systems provide scalable and flexible liquid cooling solutions to meet growing capacity requirements and support the wider adoption of liquid cooling.

The CoolChip CDU range forms part of Vertiv’s broader liquid cooling portfolio and the 360AI suite, which integrates power, cooling, and services to address the unique demands of AI infrastructure. Supported by global liquid cooling services that include design, installation, commissioning, fluid management, and maintenance, the portfolio accommodates a broad set of use cases, from upgrading existing sites to deploying high-density AI and HPC clusters in new facilities.

The CoolChip CDU 70 is a liquid-to-air in-row unit that enables a quick and cost-effective introduction of liquid cooling in both new and retrofitted data centres. It leverages existing thermal infrastructure, making it suitable for facilities aiming to adopt liquid cooling with minimal disruption. With a cooling capacity of up to 70 kW, the system is engineered for agility and scalability, reducing secondary fluid network complexity and overall infrastructure footprint. Its integrated controller enables real-time monitoring, group control, and communication between units for coordinated performance and streamlined management across racks.

The CoolChip CDU 100 delivers high-performance, liquid-to-liquid in-rack cooling in a compact 4U design, making it ideal for managing dense workloads in individual racks. This model allows data centre operators to roll out or expand liquid cooling one rack at a time, which is particularly useful for AI pilots or incremental scaling without major infrastructure changes. Offering up to 100 kW of cooling, the system includes a large-surface heat exchanger for low approach temperatures and features such as an integrated controller for monitoring and control, precise ±1°C temperature regulation, fluid filtration, and separation between facility and IT fluid loops for secure and efficient operation.

The CoolChip CDU 600 is a liquid-to-liquid in-row unit delivering 600 kW of cooling capacity, tailored for high-density AI and HPC applications in hyperscale and colocation environments. Its modular design supports in-row deployment with top or bottom piping options and optional internal manifolds, enabling faster planning and implementation. With redundant pumps, advanced temperature and fluid quality monitoring, and deployment flexibility, the CDU 600 is built to offer the performance, reliability, and transparency needed to scale liquid cooling in demanding IT environments.

Wingu Africa expands data centres to power East Africa’s connectivity

Wingu Africa, East Africa’s leading carrier-neutral data centre operator, has secured US$60mn in funding to boost its expansion efforts and drive digital transformation across the continent

The investment, provided by Rand Merchant Bank (RMB), a top-tier African corporate and investment bank, will fund the deployment of advanced infrastructure in key regional markets, responding to the growing need for secure and interconnected digital services.

The company, which already supports over 40 premium clients—including major telecom operators, hyperscale cloud providers, content platforms, and financial firms—designs its facilities with robust power, cooling, and security features, ensuring reliability for high-demand digital workloads.

“This is not just an investment in infrastructure, it’s an investment in Africa’s digital independence,” stated Anthony Voscarides, Group CEO at Wingu. “We’re expanding the capacity that will empower innovation, accelerate economic growth, and connect Africa to the future.”

Expanding digital infrastructure 

Wingu is actively growing its footprint in Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Tanzania, reinforcing its role as a critical enabler of hyperscale, enterprise, and cloud connectivity across East Africa.

Recent developments include the commissioning of its second data centre in Djibouti, which features the nation’s first fully integrated cable landing station and colocation facility. Combined, Wingu’s two sites offer redundancy and direct access to 12 active submarine cables, with more to be added. Another highlight is the debut of the AMS-IX Djibouti internet exchange, launched in partnership with AMS-IX to build on the DjIX infrastructure.

In Ethiopia, Wingu’s Tier III-certified campus is home to the ADDIX internet exchange, laying strong foundations for content and cloud distribution. Meanwhile, in Tanzania, the company is expanding its Dar es Salaam campus, tripling its capacity and rolling out next-gen infrastructure, including enhanced links to subsea cable systems, to cater to surging cloud and enterprise demands.

Wingu’s offering extends beyond colocation services. It delivers Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Cloud as a Service (CaaS), and satellite teleport solutions, enabling customers to access scalable, low-latency environments that grow with their needs. Leading digital infrastructure providers such as Bayobab Africa and Cloudflare are already leveraging Wingu’s platform to deliver essential services across the region.

“The mission is clear: to build the digital backbone of Africa,” said Demos Kyriacou, Deputy CEO, chief operating officer and co-founder. “We’re delivering at scale, with neutrality, trust, and vision, enabling the continent’s digital sovereignty and future growth.”

Corrie Cronje, senior transactor at RMB, remarked, “RMB is proud to support Wingu Africa’s commitment to advancing digital growth across the continent. By financing the deployment of essential digital infrastructure throughout East Africa we are investing in a connected future for all.”