Google has launched its first African cloud region in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Google announced on Wednesday that its cloud data center in Johannesburg has been completed and is now operational for customer use.
This development comes 16 months following Google’s initial announcement of joining industry competitors Microsoft and Amazon Web Services in establishing a cloud infrastructure “region” in South Africa.
Niral Patel, Google Cloud Africa director, said in a statement, “The new Johannesburg region brings our global network to a total of 40 cloud regions and 121 zones. This expansion enables us to deliver Google Cloud services to over 200 countries and territories worldwide.”
“Like all Google Cloud regions, the Johannesburg region is part of Google’s secure network, which includes a system of high-capacity fiber-optic cables spanning both land and sea globally. This network features the recently completed Equiano subsea cable system, linking Portugal with several African countries, including Togo, Nigeria, Namibia, South Africa, and St Helena.”
In September 2022, Google announced plans to establish cloud interconnect sites, connected to the Equiano cable, in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Lagos, and Nairobi. These sites are designed to provide enhanced access to Google’s data center infrastructure located in South Africa.
The inauguration of the Johannesburg cloud region follows the establishment of similar cloud regions by Google’s competitors in South Africa. AWS has built a data center campus in Cape Town, while Microsoft operates facilities in both Johannesburg and Cape Town. Oracle, another major player in enterprise software, has also invested in developing cloud infrastructure within the country.
