Google has officially inaugurated its first “cloud region“ in Johannesburg, marking a significant milestone as the tech giant intensifies its efforts to compete with its American counterparts, Microsoft and Amazon Web Services (AWS), in establishing robust data center infrastructure in South Africa.
While the data center region was initially launched over a year ago, Google took the opportunity to host an industry event in Johannesburg on Wednesday, aimed at highlighting this substantial investment to its customers and partners. This event comes on the heels of a recent announcement by Microsoft, where Vice Chairman and President Brad Smith shared the stage with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to declare an additional investment of R5.4 billion in new data center infrastructure within the country. This investment is particularly focused on enhancing capabilities for cloud-based artificial intelligence applications.
Microsoft has already committed a total of R20.4 billion to its Azure data centers in South Africa, excluding this latest investment. Similarly, Amazon has invested billions of rand in constructing data centers in Cape Town to better serve its AWS customers in the region.
Although Google has not disclosed the exact amount invested in its Johannesburg facilities, this development is part of a broader commitment to invest US$1 billion across the African continent. This investment strategy encompasses not only the establishment of data centers but also the enhancement of terrestrial and subsea fiber infrastructure, including the construction of a submarine cable system that will connect South Africa to the west coast of Australia.
According to Google, the Johannesburg cloud region, which has been operational since January 2024, is designed to directly support African businesses and multinational corporations operating within the continent. It aims to provide these entities with access to advanced technologies, thereby fostering growth and innovation in the region.
