INTELLIGENT DATACENTRES
Energy efficiency is key to the sustainability of data centres in Africa
A ccess to affordable , reliable and environmentally sustainable sources of electricity is a pressing issue for the growing number of data centre operators across Africa . These facilities need to ensure a high availability of power to mitigate downtime , but many African countries face frequent power outages . Existing data centres have relied on diesel-fuelled generators to sustain operations during power outages , a practice that could exacerbate carbon emissions in the future . Indeed , the deployment of hyperscale data centre capacity is expected to increase emissions through further diesel-generator utilisation .
In a recently published focus report by Oxford Business Group titled “ Data Centres in Africa ”, Funke Opeke , CEO , MainOne , explained that power distribution networks are facing frequent shortages , but there is an adequate supply of electricity in the region ’ s national grids . “ By strategically locating our data centres close to sources of power and partnering with local power distribution companies to build direct connections to the national grid , we ensure high power availability and reduce the utilisation of diesel-fuelled power generation at our facilities ” Opeke stated .
MainOne has increased the capacity of its data centres , which reached 5MW in the key markets of Nigeria , Ghana and Côte d ’ Ivoire , with services delivered to a total of 10 countries across West Africa . Its data centre subsidiary , MDXi runs energy-efficient facilities by optimising airflow , using sensors and Artificial Intelligence to manage operations and installing energy-efficient hardware . Taken together , these actions go a long way towards reducing the carbon footprint and improving energy efficiency for the sustainability of its data centres .
Following the launch of its Tier III data centre in Appolonia City in Accra , Ghana earlier in the year , MDXi has commenced the expansion of its Lekki data centre in Lagos , Nigeria , with the goal of increasing its 600- rack facility to over 1,200 racks by 2023 . Further investments have also been directed towards the expansion for its data centre in Côte d ’ Ivoire .
Africa is experiencing some of the fastest growth in Internet access seen around the world , largely due to its young population . As such , data consumption will continue to grow for the foreseeable future . This will fuel further investments in submarine cables and data centres to bring data closer to consumers . However , without sustainable power strategies , the industry will continue to contribute to global warming in a region that can least afford the consequences . •
INTELLIGENT TECH CHANNELS Issue 46 45