Status: Completed (Major expansion phase finished August 2025) | Location: Ekurhuleni (East of Johannesburg), South Africa
The Teraco JB4 Bredell Campus expansion is a defining landmark in Africa's digital infrastructure, solidifying Johannesburg's position as the continent's primary digital gateway. As a subsidiary of Digital Realty, Teraco completed a major expansion phase in August 2025, bringing the total critical IT load of the JB4 facility to a commanding 50 MW, making it the largest standalone data center in Africa. This milestone is crucial as it directly addresses the accelerating demand from global hyperscale cloud providers and the domestic enterprise shift toward hybrid cloud and high-performance computing.
The facility is built to stringent global hyperscale specifications and is designed to cater directly to the emerging Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning workloads. A key innovation is the support for liquid-to-liquid cooling, allowing clients to deploy high-density, GPU-intensive AI clusters that require superior thermal management beyond traditional air cooling.
Sustainability is a cornerstone of the JB4 design. Facing South Africa's dual challenges of power stability and water scarcity, the facility incorporates a state-of-the-art zero-water, closed-loop chilled water cooling system. This technology, combined with AI-enabled optimisation, ensures industry-leading energy efficiency (PUE) without consuming precious fresh water for ongoing cooling operations. Furthermore, Teraco is actively developing its own 120MW solar PV plant to supply its campuses through energy wheeling, a pioneering move to secure green, reliable power for the massive IT load.
Strategically located in Ekurhuleni, JB4 is a vital node of Platform Teraco, offering access to a dense ecosystem of over 250 carriers, the NAPAfrica internet exchange point, and direct cloud on-ramps. Its robust connectivity, coupled with its immense, future-ready capacity, reinforces South Africa's role as the indispensable springboard for cloud and content delivery into the wider sub-Saharan African region.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Project Name | Teraco JB4 Bredell Campus Expansion (Digital Realty) |
| Location | Ekurhuleni (East of Johannesburg), South Africa |
| Status | Completed (Major expansion phase finished August 2025) |
| Commissioning | August 2025 (Completion of the 30MW phase) |
| Total IT Load | 50 MW (Total critical IT load capacity of JB4 facility) |
| Total Capacity | 50 MW (JB4 facility); 189 MW (Total Teraco platform capacity) |
| Tier Level | Designed and certified to meet high Tier III/IV standards |
| Project Type | Hyperscale, Vendor-Neutral Colocation, Interconnection Hub |
| Header | Details |
|---|---|
| City Name | ekurhuleni |
| Population | 4.1 million |
| Urban Agglomeration | 4.1 million in 2023 |
| City GDP | R 531.3 billion in GDP in 2019 |
| Per Capita Income | (PCI) isn't a single, fixed number |
| City Tier | Tier 1 / Primary Data Center and Economic Hub of Sub-Saharan Africa |
| Key Strengths | Most established fiber networks, highest concentration of enterprise customers, major Cloud Region deployments (AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud). |
| Header | Details |
|---|---|
| Developer / Operator | Teraco |
| Strategic Infrastructure Partner | Digital Realty (Parent Company) |
| Construction Contractor | TBD (Multiple contractors) |
| MEP Engineering | TBD |
| Network Connectivity | Over 250 network providers, major Cloud On-Ramps, NAPAfrica IXP |
| Power Infrastructure | Secured utility power; future supply from 120MW solar PV plant |
| Header | Details |
|---|---|
| Power Capacity | 50 MW |
| UPS Redundancy | High redundancy (2N or greater expected) |
| Cooling System | Closed-loop Chilled Water (Zero water consumption for cooling); Supports liquid-to-liquid cooling for AI |
| Connectivity | Carrier-neutral interconnection platform; Direct access to major subsea cables (Equiano, 2Africa) |
| PUE Target | Industry-leading PUE (optimized via AI-enhanced cooling) |
| Energy Mix | Transitioning to Renewable Energy (via wheeling from Teraco's own solar plants) |
| Header | Details |
|---|---|
| Announcement | Major phases announced progressively (e.g., 30MW addition in 2024/2025) |
| Construction Start | Ongoing phased construction |
| Phase 1 Go-Live | Initial launch of JB4 (2022) |
| Full Buildout | 50 MW complete (August 2025) |
| Header | Details |
|---|---|
| Total Investment | Part of a larger, multi-billion dollar investment by Digital Realty in Africa |
| Funding | Digital Realty and various capital raised by Teraco |
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