26 www. refrigerationandaircon. co. za RACA Journal I January 2026
DATA CENTRE FEATURE SERIES
Data centres users dependent on data-intensive applications like social media and AI.
While Nigeria remains a massive market, Vermeulen acknowledges the difficulties of doing business there. Intramech observes significant data centre development in Tanzania and Ethiopia, with interest also from Mozambique, Djibouti and Côte d ' Ivoire. However, a major characteristic of the African market is the prevalence of modular, containerised solutions. " More than 70 % of the cooling equipment in Africa that we supply goes into modular data centres," Vermeulen stated. This trend is driven by a lack of local resources, limited availability of parts and general building materials. These modules are often manufactured and fitted out in South Africa, then exported for local assembly, integrating essential elements like backup generators.
The future looks bright for Africa ' s data centre growth. Vermeulen anticipates a steep growth profile continuing until at least 2030, driven by sheer demand and the increasing imperative of data sovereignty laws. Governments across the continent are demanding that sensitive citizen data, once stored abroad, must now reside within national borders, fueling the need for more in-country data centre infrastructure.
Vermeulen reported significant visitor interest, particularly in the new CDU at its exhibition stand, attributing the excitement to the opportunity for attendees to experience this brand-new, cutting-edge technology firsthand and which many people have never before seen. This tangible interaction underscores the rapid advancements reshaping data centre cooling for a digitally empowered Africa.
POWERING AFRICA’ S DIGITAL FUTURE WITH PRECISION COOLING
By Mark Anthony Louis, Nancy Strangfeld, Data Centre Solutions( Pty) Ltd; Airedale by Modine’ s Official Channel Partner for sub-Saharan Africa
South Africa’ s data centre market is surging: projected to reach USD3.4-billion by 2030 1, it currently represents over 66 % of Africa’ s capacity 2. South Africa’ s AI market value was projected at USD1.2-billion in 2025, with targeted investment by 2030 set at USD3.7-billion 3. Demand for AI skills in South Africa surged 77 % in the past 12 months, up 352 % since 2019 4. South Africa ' s National AI Strategy( 2025 – 2030) aims to establish over
26 www. refrigerationandaircon. co. za RACA Journal I January 2026