South Africa's data centres draw 2.4 TWh of electricity a year, which places it 17th of the 33 countries this atlas carries a figure for.
That is 1.0% of everything the country generates — around the 1.2% median across those countries.
Set against 0.7 GW of installed capacity, that implies a 39% load factor.
2 metros are tracked here, totalling 340 MW, of which Johannesburg alone is 250 MW — 74% of the national total.
340 MW of that is not yet operating: it is under construction or still an announcement.
Its strongest showing anywhere in the atlas is Power & Grid on the physical basis, at #18 of 77.
It does not register at all on Silicon, Memory & Storage or Networking.
About $1.5bn of AI infrastructure investment has been announced for South Africa, though announced is not built — that figure is graded C.
National context
Grid friction
Generation adequacy remains the binding constraint.
Where South Africa ranks
The same tables read three ways. A country can lead one basis and be invisible on another, and that gap is the whole point of the atlas.
| Tier | Physicalassets here | Ownershiprevenue booked | Controlcould stop you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silicon | — | — | — |
| Memory & Storage | — | — | — |
| Networking | — | — | — |
| Systems & Facility | #21of 54 | — | — |
| Power & Grid | #18of 77 | — | — |
Data centre metros (2)
| Johannesburg — Under constructionTeraco's campus alone exceeds 200 MW and is the largest facility in Africa. South Africa is over 47% of all African data-centre investment. Grid adequacy is the binding constraint. | 250 MW B |
| Cape Town — Under constructionCable landing advantage on the Atlantic route. | 90 MW C |