Equinix, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX), the world’s leading digital infrastructure company, has opened its first International Business Exchange (IBX) data center in South Africa. The new facility, named JN1, is located in Germiston, Johannesburg, and has already started welcoming new customers and partners.
The JN1 center is a key facility within Equinix’s global network and has been designed to support and enhance the region’s growing digital infrastructure and connectivity. This opening will allow businesses of all sizes to access connectivity and cloud services from this new base in Johannesburg, a city that has emerged as the economic engine of southern Africa.
Johannesburg: a strategic hub for digital connectivity
With a thriving economy and a vast local talent pool, Johannesburg is positioned as a major interconnection hub in Africa. The city is a digital networking hub due to the extensive network of submarine cables along South Africa’s coast. Additionally, sectors such as financial services, industrial, and professional services have driven both local and international companies to use the city as a base for their regional operations, attracting significant foreign and local investment. This makes Johannesburg the ideal location for Equinix to establish its first data center in the country.
A high-capacity facility with expansion opportunities
The initial phase of the JN1 center offers over 1,900 square meters of colocation space, with plans to expand to a total capacity of 9,515 square meters. The site has significant power capacity, making it suitable for high-density deployments with the possibility of implementing liquid cooling systems to support such deployments. In its first phase, JN1 has 700 cabinets, but it is expected to house up to 3,475 cabinets upon completion of its development.
A new milestone in South Africa’s digitalization
Sandile Dube, Equinix’s Managing Director for South Africa, highlighted the importance of this new data center for the country’s digital growth: “Our new JN1 data center in Johannesburg serves as a powerful platform for people and businesses to connect, innovate, and thrive, not only in South Africa, but beyond. This site puts South Africa on the map of digital connectivity and will be a key interconnection hub on the continent for some of the world’s fastest-growing countries and companies.”
Leading companies already trust Equinix
Leading companies in South Africa, such as Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Intelys Technology Group, SEACOM, and WorkOnline Communications, as well as the INX-ZA’s JINX Internet exchange, have already deployed their operations in Equinix’s new facility.
Commitment to sustainability
Equinix has also committed to sustainability, setting a science-based short-term target to reduce its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50% by 2030, based on 2019 levels. This new facility in Johannesburg reinforces the company’s commitment to the African continent, following its acquisition in 2022 of MainOne, a company that manages data centers in Nigeria, Ghana, and Ivory Coast.
The opening of the JN1 center marks a significant step towards Africa’s digital development and solidifies Equinix as a key player in strengthening the continent’s technological infrastructure, enabling African and global companies to connect and scale their operations with agility and efficiency.
Source: Equinix