Google has launched a “cloud area” in Johannesburg, its first in Africa, because it chases its US rivals, Microsoft and Amazon Net Providers, in constructing knowledge centre infrastructure in South Africa.
Though the info centre “area” was already launched greater than a yr in the past, Google on Wednesday held an trade occasion in Johannesburg to showcase the funding to prospects and companions.
The occasion got here two weeks after Microsoft vice chairman and president Brad Smith shared a stage with President Cyril Ramaphosa in Johannesburg to announce that the software program big would make investments a additional R5.4-billion in new knowledge centre infrastructure within the nation, together with services for cloud-based synthetic intelligence purposes.
Microsoft mentioned it has already spent R20.4-billion on its Azure knowledge centres in South Africa – excluding its newest funding dedication. Amazon has additionally spent billions of rand on constructing knowledge centres in Cape City to service AWS prospects within the area.
Google hasn’t mentioned precisely how a lot it has spent on its Joburg services, however the funding kinds a part of its pledge to speculate US$1-billion throughout Africa, which incorporates investments in new terrestrial and subsea fibre infrastructure, together with development of a submarine cable system between South Africa and the west coast of Australia.
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“Operational since January 2024, the Johannesburg cloud area instantly helps African companies and multinational companies working on the African continent by offering entry to cutting-edge applied sciences,” Google mentioned in a press release. – © 2025 NewsCentral Media
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