Vantage Data Centers, a leading global provider of hyperscale data centre campuses, has announced the construction of a second campus (JNB2) in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The JNB2 Isando campus is strategically located in Ekurhuleni, the greater Johannesburg Metropol’s trade and industry hub and approximately 17km from Vantage’s growing JNB1 Midrand campus. JNB2 is sited near the OR Tambo International Airport and less than two km from the NAPAfrica neutral Internet eXchange in a region that serves as the cloud on-ramp for a number of large technology companies.
“South Africa continues to be a cornerstone for Vantage’s EMEA growth outside of continental Europe,” said Antoine Boniface, President, Vantage Data Centers, EMEA. “Investing in a second campus is a testament to our commitment to the region and our customers who have business requirements to be in this high-demand market.”
The first building of the JNB2 campus will consist of a 20MW 355,000 sqft (33,000 square meters) two-storey data centre and will be operational in mid-2024.
Sustainable design
Many features of JNB2 are based on Vantage’s standardised campus blueprint, emphasising sustainable construction practices. This includes offering renewable energy options through a recent Power Purchase Agreement with SolarAfrica, limiting carbon footprints, maintaining energy efficient operations with an industry-leading Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) and minimising the use of water.
Power and cooling
The first data centre on the JNB2 campus will be cooled using a highly efficient, closed-loop chilled water system generated through air-cooled chillers. An integrated economiser capability will allow reduced compressor energy based on outside ambient temperature. This allows Vantage to take advantage of cooler seasonal temperatures to minimise resource usage. Customers will benefit from power provided by the Municipality of Ekurhuleni, combined with a dedicated on-site, high-voltage substation.
Security and amenities
Campus security remains a priority for Vantage and the company’s hallmark security measures include an on-site security operations centre with 24x7x365 patrols, perimeter security, CCTV on all access points and multi-level authentication and access controls for employees, customers and visitors.
This new data centre will provide dedicated offices and workspaces, break areas, conference rooms, meeting spaces and secure storage areas.
JNB1 expansion
On Vantage’s inaugural 80MW campus in Midrand, South Africa, the company opened its first 16MW facility in July 2022 and continues expanding the development to meet customer demand. The next phase is under construction and is slated to be operational in early 2024.
