Vantage Data Centers launches second campus in Johannesburg

Vantage Data Centers, a leading global provider of hyperscale data center 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 17 kilometers from Vantage’s growing JNB1 Midrand campus. JNB2 is sited near the OR Tambo International Airport and less than two kilometers 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 square foot (33,000 square meters) two-story data center and will be operational in mid-2024. Vantage is repurposing a portion of an existing warehouse for the initial phase, reducing the embodied carbon of the development.

Sustainable Design

Many features of JNB2 are based on Vantage’s standardized campus blueprint, emphasizing 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 minimizing the use of water.

Power and Cooling

The first data center on the JNB2 campus will be cooled using a highly efficient, closed-loop chilled water system generated through air-cooled chillers. An integrated economizer capability will allow reduced compressor energy based on outside ambient temperature. This allows Vantage to take advantage of cooler seasonal temperatures to minimize 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 center 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 center will provide dedicated offices and workspaces, break areas, conference rooms, meeting spaces and secure storage areas.