The news:
- JB4 expansion makes it Africa’s largest single-site data centre at 50 MW capacity.
- The facility spans 80,000 m², with 14 data halls across 17,000 m² of technical space delivering 50 MW of IT power load.
- It is built to handle hyperscale cloud, AI, and big data workloads.
Teraco, a leading data centre provider in Africa, has completed the expansion of its JB4 hyperscale facility in Johannesburg, South Africa, cementing its status as the largest standalone data centre on the continent.
This expansion comes two years after Teraco raised $680 million in a funding round in February 2023, which was led by South African bank Absa.
The new phase adds 30 MW of capacity, bringing JB4’s total critical IT power load to 50 MW. Spread over 80,000 m² of building structure, the campus houses 14 data halls, including six new 5 MW halls designed for hyperscale and AI-driven workloads.
Africa’s data centre market has seen rapid growth over the past five years, driven by cloud adoption, artificial intelligence, fintech expansion, and rising internet penetration.
South Africa — particularly Johannesburg — has emerged as a prime location due to its established fibre networks, submarine cable links like Equiano and 2Africa, and the concentration of enterprise customers.
By expanding JB4, Teraco is reinforcing its role as a backbone for the continent’s digital economy. The company’s facilities already host major global cloud providers, content delivery networks, and financial service platforms.
This latest investment positions the firm to handle the next wave of demand from AI processing, big data analytics, and latency-sensitive applications.
JB4 also stands out for its sustainability features. The facility uses a zero-water, closed-loop chilled water cooling system, an important consideration in South Africa’s water-scarce environment. It also employs AI-driven cooling optimisation to improve energy efficiency, helping to achieve a competitive power usage effectiveness (PUE) score.
These design choices align with broader industry trends, where hyperscale operators are under pressure to expand capacity while minimising environmental impact.
With JB4’s completion, Teraco’s combined footprint across all campuses now exceeds 189 MW of critical IT load. Alongside its facilities in Cape Town, Durban, Bredell, and Isando, this makes the company one of Africa’s most significant data infrastructure providers.
As the continent’s digital infrastructure race continues, JB4’s scale and strategic location give Teraco a clear competitive advantage — at least for now — in the race to power Africa’s connected future.
