Africa AI Datacenter Tracker

Equinix Cape Town Airport Data Centre 1

Announced

Also known as: Equinix Cape Town Airport Site 1 · Equinix King David Golf Club Data Centre 1

Cape Town, Western Cape, ZA city coords Last verified: 29 June 2026 Report a correction

Overview

This record replaces the provisional `equinix-ct2-cape-town` identity. The source does not give official Equinix facility codes for the two proposed Cape Town sites. Daily Maverick reports that the two proposed Equinix data centres are next to Cape Town International Airport, on the old King David Golf Club course, and together have a combined 160MW maximum-case demand. This record uses an equal 80MW split only because the source does not disclose per-site demand.

Capacity

What is IT load? →
Total facility power
80 MW

Daily Maverick reports 160MW combined for two proposed Equinix sites; this record uses an equal split because per-site demand is not disclosed.

estimated ≈ [s1]

Infrastructure

Tier guide →
Cooling
air

Equinix told Daily Maverick the Cape Town data centres would use dry, air-based cooling systems.

reported [s1]
AI cooling readiness
Not assessed

Cooling adequacy for AI workloads has not been independently assessed for this facility.

AI data centres require ~100 kW/rack (10× conventional). Liquid cooling at rack level is the key differentiator. Learn more →

Power

PPAs & wheeling →
Grid utility
City of Cape Town
reported [s1]
Grid carbon intensity
900 g CO₂/kWh

Grid-level Eskom-backed estimate, not facility-specific.

estimated ≈ [s1]
Backup
diesel

Daily Maverick reports city officials said data centres typically require near-100% backup, usually diesel generators plus UPS; Equinix had not disclosed generator details.

estimated ≈ [s1]

Grid carbon context

900 g CO₂/kWh — Very high — coal-heavy grid

2.1× the global average (436 g CO₂/kWh, IEA 2022). Compare: France ~60, UK ~175, US ~400 g CO₂/kWh.

Grid-level estimate. PPAs and on-site renewables may reduce the effective carbon footprint.

Water

Water stress →
Water source
none
Water stress (WRI)
high

Governance

Data residency →
Jurisdiction
South Africa
confirmed [s1]
Data residency
Data physically resident in South Africa under POPIA jurisdiction

Workload Profile

Training vs inference →
General Cloud Colocation

One of two proposed Equinix data centres next to Cape Town International Airport on the old King David Golf Club course. Equinix describes the combined 160MW as a maximum-case scenario rather than committed or immediately deliverable capacity.

Entities

Operator

Equinix

Owner

Equinix

Location

Cape Town, Western Cape, ZA

-33.9706, 18.5978

city precision

Status History

  1. announced

    2026-04-13

    Civil-society objection dated 2026-04-13 challenged the rezoning application for two proposed Equinix data centres.

Record

ID
equinix-cape-town-airport-dc1
First tracked
2026-05-11
Last verified
2026-06-29

Sources

  1. s1
    New data centres set to swallow 34% of Cape Town's current electricity supply — Daily Maverick
    local journalism retrieved 2026-06-29 not yet archived
About these source tiers
local journalism

Local news outlets; variable editorial standards, used for leads and corroboration.

Full ranking: Methodology · Glossary

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