Michael James
Leeds, England — Schneider electric is pushing for stronger ties to be formed between hyperscale companies and local expert in bringing technical expertise and investment capabilities in Africa.
Hyperscale refers to a computing infrastructure’s ability to rapidly and efficiently scale with demand, especially in data centres and cloud platforms, by adding resources like servers and storage.
Schneider believed that these partnerships must keep sustainability in mind, particularly in a time when many countries on the continent, including South Africa, are facing significant energy provision challenges.
Faith Waithaka, Cloud and Service Provider Segment Sales Lead: Anglophone Africa at Schneider Electric and Kevin Kent, Founder & CEO of Critical Facilities Efficiency Solutions stated this in article obtained by SweetCrude Reports titled: Hyperscalers – the mindful expansion into Africa.
“Hyperscalers can lead the charge, demonstrating their commitment to sustainability by actively collaborating with local renewable energy providers, governments and specialist organisations,” the article stated.
“By supporting the development of renewable energy products and solutions, hyperscalers can contribute to greener, more sustainable data centre operations. For example, by deploying large-scale solar installations, hyperscalers are not only proactively management their own power supply but also contributing to countries’ overall renewable energy posture” they added.
From a regulatory point of view, Waithaka and Kent agreed that hyperscaler marketplace in countries like South Africa is not as a firmly regulated as their North American and European peers which is dictated by carbon accounting, water usage and zero waste to landfill practices.
“Hyperscalers operating in Africa are faced with a delicate balancing act; they must process and store massive amounts of data whilst still delivering it rapidly and consistently whilst keeping energy efficiency and sustainability in mind.
“Their responsibilities are twofold; as multinationals they must meet the abovementioned regulatory requirements whilst also establishing energy efficient practices and technologies (in the countries they operate in) which will hopefully become commonplace.
“The good news is that hyperscalers have the potential to truly change the data centre industry into one that leads by example. lives. By implementing best practices, adhering to ISO standards, and staying at the forefront of technology, hyperscalers can enhance operational efficiencies, and set industry benchmark for a sustainable African data centre industry,” they explained.
