Technology

Demand for data centres in Africa is rising (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Reducing risk and boosting uptime: The value of the right commissioning partner in African data centres — Gracious Monyeke, project sales manager at Aggreko, talks about how the commissioning phase is the most critical and underestimated stage of any new data centre build in Africa

Africa’s data centre market is expanding rapidly. As recently as 2020, the continent had only around 140,000 sq m of data centre space, roughly the same as Switzerland, but serving a population of around 1.26 billion rather than 8.5 million. The installed IT power capacity is also estimated at only a few hundred megawatts against a foreseeable requirement of at least 1,000MW over the coming decade. And this highlights a structural supply gap that must be closed.

Data centre supply has already more than doubled since 2020, and it is projected to continue growing strongly, underpinned by rapid digitisation and rising cloud usage across the continent. Cloud adoption across manufacturing, financial services and healthcare, combined with tightening data protection and localisation requirements that are pushing companies to host data closer to where it is consumed, is driving waves of new investment into facilities in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Nairobi, Lagos and a growing number of emerging hubs such as Harare and Kigali.

This investment is welcome, but the development of the data centre footprint in Africa is only one part of the story. A data centre is only as reliable as the commissioning process that proves its critical infrastructure operates efficiently, especially in the African context where the unreliability of local grids has long been a challenge for ages which pose more threats for the data centre infrastructure and development. Furthermore, with many original equipment manufacturers still based outside Africa, and those within the continent focusing mainly on final assembly, lead times for spares and parts are extended. This often results in increased downtime, as operations managers are hesitant to hold underutilised inventory in their warehouses.

The stakes attached to commissioning a data centre correctly are far higher in Africa than anywhere else in the world.

Commissioning is a structured process of verifying that every system in a new data centre has been correctly designed, installed and tested before the facility goes live. It covers the full range of critical infrastructure from incoming electrical distribution and transformers through to uninterruptible power supplies and standby generation, to mechanical cooling. The goal is to confirm systematically and at every level that each component performs to its designed specifications and that the facility responds correctly when all systems are running under real load conditions.

During the construction of a new data centre, there are five levels of testing across power and cooling infrastructure. Level one is factory acceptance testing that evaluates equipment before and after assembly to confirm it has been built and operates in accordance with design specifications. For generators and UPS systems, resistive and reactive load bank testing simulates full electrical loading at both leading and lagging power factors and verifies that backup systems synchronise correctly. Any issues identified at this stage can be resolved before the equipment arrives on site and eliminates the significantly higher cost of resolving problems after installation.

Level two is site acceptance testing where the OEM and installing contractors verify that equipment meets the specifications and check for damage before it enters the facility. Level three, pre-functional testing, confirms that every device has been correctly installed, wired, torqued and earthed prior to initial energisation, and level four, evaluates each piece of equipment individually. Then level five is integrated systems testing across the entire facility as a single integrated system at full load.

Comprehensive testing identifies inefficiencies and costs, allowing for accurate assessment of power consumption and ensuring that compliance and warranties remain intact. Original equipment manufacturer (OEM) warranties can be voided if required testing has not been completed and contractors and operators run the risk of financial penalties if their completion deadlines are missed. And if critical equipment fails after a facility goes live, there are brand reputation and customer relationship consequences.

These risks also impact the opportunity for ongoing investment. The market is working hard to attract sustained international investment to fund the next phase of digital infrastructure development so a commissioning failure at a major new facility negatively influences the broader investor community in African digital infrastructure as an asset class.

This is why commissioning should move from the end of the build to the start. It should become an inherent part of the design and development of the facility from the outset. Why? Because issues identified during design review cost a fraction of those identified during integrated systems testing. Problems in wiring, piping and sequencing that appear late in a build require changes to infrastructure that is already in place, and this generates additional costs and delays. The commissioning team’s involvement at the design review stage has the potential to catch as many issues as possible as early as possible, effectively cutting the costs of mistakes further down the line.

For operators building or managing multiple data centre facilities, which is an increasingly common model among Africa's growing tier of regional operators, a standardised commissioning framework delivers compounding benefits. More than 70% of all data centre outages globally are caused by human error rather than infrastructure design failure and so consistency in the commissioning process directly reduces exposure to the most common source of failure and provides a reliable performance baseline that supports maintenance planning, fault diagnosis and benchmarking across a portfolio of sites.

Aggreko's modular, standardised equipment fleet means the same commissioning programme is deliverable regardless of where in Africa a new data centre is located. This is particularly relevant on a continent where supply chain complexity and longer lead times remain a live operational reality so having a partner with standardised, available equipment removes a significant variable from the commissioning timeline.

The cost savings realised by thorough commissioning far outweigh the cost of the commissioning process itself. A properly commissioned data centre delivers more uptime, lower operations and maintenance costs across the facility's lifetime, a safer working environment, and a full documentation set that supports benchmarking, trend analysis and maintenance decisions for years ahead. The total cost of ownership of the facility's critical infrastructure is lower. The risk of the kind of failure that carries financial penalties and reputational consequences is materially reduced, and Aggreko has the tooling, expertise and capability to support data centres at every stage.

The right commissioning partner can assist with the new construction or extension of a data centre.

When issues arise due to human error or equipment failure on site, it is essential to engage a commissioning partner with the right expertise. They should not only understand the process thoroughly but also support OEMs by identifying faults early, right from the initial stages of commissioning, rather than allowing them to surface later, when downtime becomes more costly.

The right commissioning partner will give you peace of mind by ensuring full fleet availability across both your electrical and cooling plants.

Read more:

Master Power Technologies unveils new regional base

Parklands data centre receives power and cooling update

Western Cape deploys AI for smarter road infrastructure

At the opening of MPT’s new Midrand base (Image source: MPT)

Master Power Technologies (MPT), a pan-African provider of turnkey data centre and critical power solutions, has opened a new regional headquarters in Midrand, South Africa

The site also contains a new ‘Customer Experience Centre’, a R50mn (US$3mn) investment designed to showcase MPT’s engineering capabilities and provide a hands-on environment for customers, partners and trainees.

The centre features advanced test facilities, including a 2 MVA UPS test platform and a 400kW cooling systems test centre, which is the most comprehensive of its kind on the continent.

In a statement, the company said it marked a step in the company’s continued expansion and commitment to advancing Africa’s data centre infrastructure.

“The Experience Centre represents a new chapter for Master Power Technologies. It’s about creating a space where customers can engage with our technology, see it in action, and understand the depth of our capabilities,” said MPT founder and managing director, Menno Parsons, a former electrical engineer.

“This centre will be the most impressive UPS and cooling training facility in Africa, allowing our clients to touch, feel, and work with real systems in a way that has never been possible before.”

Founded in 1999, MPT has grown from its origins as a Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) provider into a diversified engineering firm that delivers end-to-end solutions for data centres across Africa and the Middle East.

Today, it designs, manufactures, and assembles a wide range of products under its flagship brands, SURE and AIVA, tailored to withstand Africa’s demanding operational environments.

The new Midrand facility spans 6,000 square metres and will serve as MPT’s African headquarters, housing approximately 200 employees.

Strategically located between Johannesburg and Pretoria, the site is positioned close to a number of major data centre hubs.

The launch of the Midrand offices and Experience Centre underscores MPT’s role as a trusted partner in Africa’s rapidly growing data centre sector, according to Parsons.

The Experience Centre also highlights MPT’s commitment to local engineering and manufacturing.

MPT assembles and engineers complete modular data centre and energy centre solutions within Africa, an approach that reduces logistical risks, supports local industry and ensures solutions are tailored to regional requirements.

Beyond technical demonstrations, the centre will also serve as a hub for training and collaboration, equipping engineers and clients with practical knowledge to optimise data centre performance.

It also integrates MPT’s proprietary Advanced Infrastructure Visual Analytics (AIVA) monitoring platform, which manages and records metrics across more than 200 data centres in Africa, offering advanced analytics and operational insights.

“Our business has always been about more than just selling equipment. We engineer solutions for Africa, by Africa,” said Parsons.

“This Experience Centre is a testament to that philosophy, which strengthens our ability to train, innovate and deliver world-class infrastructure while remaining rooted in local expertise.”

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Parklands data centre receives power and cooling update

Western Cape deploys AI for smarter road infrastructure

Revolutionising Gauteng data centre connectivity

OADC’s Parklands data centre in South Africa (Image source: Vertiv)

Open Access Data Centres (OADC), a WIOCC Group company, has standardised power and cooling infrastructure at its Parklands data centre in Johannesburg, with the help of Vertiv, a global leader in critical digital infrastructure

The move will enable faster capacity deployment, higher‑density workloads and scalable growth without operational disruption.

Originally deployed by Vertiv as a prefabricated, modular, Tier III-compliant data centre for a pan-African telecommunications provider, the Parklands facility was designed to support phased expansion and evolving workload requirements.

By standardising on Vertiv infrastructure, OADC can now accelerate deployments, support higher‑density customer workloads and expand data centre capacity without major redesign.

“OADC made an executive decision to standardise on Vertiv infrastructure solutions,” said Marc Matthews, engineering director and head of projects at OADC.

The Parklands data facility uses integrated Vertiv power protection, thermal management, containment and energy storage, designed to adapt to changing load profiles, improve energy efficiency, and support long-term scalability.

“Vertiv’s technology is tried and tested, with an excellent reputation,” added Matthews.

“Beyond the equipment itself, the local Vertiv team has also played a critical role in supporting our strategy, reinforcing OADC’s decision to appoint Vertiv as one of our preferred vendors.”

Now, Parklands supports hyperscaler and AI-driven organisations, where power density, thermal efficiency and deployment agility are critical.

The IDC 8 data hall provides a modular, scalable infrastructure foundation designed to support evolving requirements while maintaining efficient operations.

The recently commissioned IDC 10 hall builds on this approach, extending the same modular architecture into a traditional build while maintaining performance, flexibility and product consistency for a broad mix of enterprise needs, helping customers scale confidently as demand grows.

“Parklands reflects a broader shift in data centre design across Africa to prioritise flexibility, scalability and efficiency,” said Gary Chomse, regional director for central and southern Africa at Vertiv.

“By combining prefabricated modular infrastructure with high-performance power and cooling technologies, Vertiv is helping OADC scale capacity while maintaining operational resilience and efficiency."

Read more:

Western Cape deploys AI for smarter road infrastructure

Africa's AI ambitions face critical infrastructure questions

Bankability will shape Africa's infrastructure future 

Bentley Systems and the Western Cape government are deploying AI-powered analytics to strengthen road safety and infrastructure resilience. (Image source: Bentley Systems)

Bentley Systems, Incorporated, the infrastructure engineering software company, has unveiled a major collaboration with the Western Cape Government's Department of Infrastructure to roll out its AI-driven Blyncsy platform across key segments of the province's road network

Marking Blyncsy's debut on the African continent, the programme will cover roughly 5,000 km of roads, leveraging automated computer vision to flag critical infrastructure concerns.

With constrained funding and mounting exposure to weather-related damage, the department is turning to smarter, forward-looking technology to bolster road safety and safeguard the flow of people and goods. Devastating floods in recent years have cut off entire communities, underscoring how urgently a more resilient asset management strategy is needed.

Through Blyncsy, part of Bentley's Asset Analytics portfolio, the department is stepping into a future-ready operating model. The solution draws on crowdsourced dashcam footage and machine learning to automatically flag compromised guardrails, absent signage, malfunctioning streetlights, and road debris. The system also tracks vegetation encroachment, a critical variable in preserving sightlines and preventing blockages during the province's increasingly severe storm seasons.

This evidence-based methodology directly underpins the Roads4U campaign and the Western Cape Infrastructure Framework 2050, both of which champion innovation and strategic collaboration to make the most of a R4.56 billion (US$ 250mn) transport budget. Automating road inspections means hazards such as potholes and drainage-clogging debris can be caught and addressed before they spiral into far more expensive remediation work.

"Providing safe and resilient infrastructure is the foundation of economic opportunity in the Western Cape, particularly as we manage the impacts of climate change on our road network," said Johannes Neethling, chief engineer for transport Infrastructure systems for the Western Cape.

"By integrating Blyncsy's AI technology, we are gaining a level of visibility that was previously impossible. This allows us to maintain a precise digital inventory of our assets, from guardrails to streetlights, ensuring that our maintenance crews are deployed where they are needed most. This isn't just about better data; it's about a proactive commitment to keeping our roads open and our citizens safe."

"The expansion of Blyncsy into Western Cape of South Africa represents a pivotal step in our mission to provide global transportation agencies with real-time visibility into the state of their infrastructure," said Mark Pittman, senior director of transportation AI at Bentley Systems.

"Western Cape is leading the way on the African continent by embracing empirical evidence to drive financial and operational decisions. As we look toward bringing this technology to more markets worldwide, our goal remains clear: to replace historical precedent with AI-driven insights that reduce risk, lower costs, and ultimately save lives. We are proud to partner with a department that is so clearly focused on building a resilient future."