News
TOAC TO PROVIDE
wo Ocean Air Conditioning (TOAC) has been selected as one
of the contractors for global giant Amazon’s data centres to
be established in South Africa this year.
“We have an established track record of successful
installations at data centres for Telkom Belldata, Vodacom
centres in Belville in the Western Cape, the US Consulate in
Tokai, also in the Western Cape and ABSA’s facility in Century
City, Cape Town. Our expertise in this field, making use of the
latest advances in cooling appropriate for the sophisticated and
advanced technologies required for data centres, contributed to
our successful bid to be involved with the Amazon centres,” says
Stefan Sander, CEO of TOAC.
Computers in data centres work around the clock at high
rates, which demands sophisticated cooling systems to ensure
the equipment continues working optimally without overheating.
“We researched the latest technology available and will
introduce a number of innovative solutions at the Amazon
centres. The broader technology and IT sector in South Africa is
sophisticated and, in our industry, there is world-class capability
available locally that can adhere to the demands of companies
like Amazon,” Sander says.
“In a modern world driven by data handling, taking care
of information has become a critical service to a variety of
companies. Appropriate cooling systems are a key component
in this ecosystem and the demands have been instrumental
in driving innovation. South Africa already has talented
technicians and designers in this field. The likes of Amazon
setting up in SA will drive further innovation and skills
development,” Sander adds.
TOAC has a close association with Concor Construction
(formerly Murray and Roberts Construction) and this secured
www.hvacronline.co.za
SPECIALIST COOLING FOR
LOCAL AMAZON DATA CENTRES
T
Chiller plant room complete with stainless steel cladded CHW-piping.
the Amazon contract for the company. “Amazon requested
that these contracts be executed as a turnkey solution. Concor
selected TOAC as their preferred HVAC specialist partner to
compile a packaged offer. Their bid was successful on two out of
the three Amazon projects running concurrently, which ensured
automatic project inclusion for TOAC as a direct sub-contractor,
under Concor,” Sander says.
Amazon’s president and chief technology officer, Werner
Vogels, visited South Africa in March 2019, to elaborate on
its strategies for the region. Business Times reported that the
company has big plans for the expansion of jobs, educational
initiatives and technology roll-out in South Africa. Its thrust into
Africa will be spearheaded by the company’s cloud computing
arm, Amazon Web Services, which has had a development
centre in Cape Town since 2004. RACA
RACA Journal I June 2019
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