www. refrigerationandaircon. co. za RACA Journal I September 2025 27
Feature
• Lee Perrin, data centre lead, MEA: GBRE
• Michael Byrne, head of data centre design & engineering EMEA at Eaton
• Georges Dubien, MEA sales director- data centres: Boreas and Exagate
• Willem Weber, data centre environmental engineer at Master Power Technologies( MPT)
Perrin commenced the discussion by emphasising a shift in industry engagement.“ The focus must be on deep collaboration with clients from the earliest inception stages right through to handover, ensuring technical governance throughout the entire lifecycle. This proactive approach is crucial in a landscape driven by increasingly complex demands.”
Weber recounted MPT’ s contributions to South Africa ' s data centre landscape, including the construction and operation of 14 facilities, retrofitting 32 others, and pioneering the first high-generation plant in the country that converts methane gas into power and harvests waste heat for cooling. His team was also the first to deploy a 5.5m Kyoto cooling wheel in Centurion and achieved Tier III certification. These innovations include its new flagship facility transitioning from traditional to free cooling and hot aisle containment.
Dubien highlighted their expertise in white space solutions, manufacturing everything from CRAC / CRAH units and fan wall units to rear door cooling for AI, alongside intelligent environmental monitoring systems. With 13 years in the data centre business across the Middle East and Turkey, Dubien noted the critical importance of redundancy and precision in a region where cooling is a necessity for survival, let alone for server rooms. His first visit to South Africa revealed similar challenges and opportunities, especially with the surge of AI driving conversations around high-density computing.
given its vast land mass and resources.
Weber concurred that South Africa, despite its own regulatory complexities, has a unique opportunity. The panel emphasised the need to " Africanise everything ", rather than slavishly imitate Europe or blindly adopt approaches from mature markets regarding sustainability trends. " South Africa ' s innovation is noteworthy, with local achievements in Tier III and Tier IV certifications. Compliance is non-negotiable for attracting foreign investment. Importantly, most compliance standards, such as the Code of Conduct for data centres, actively encourage energy savings and proper operational diligence, benefiting both the bottom line and the environment."
However, the discussion also touched on significant local challenges. Perrin acknowledged South Africa ' s water constraints, despite what he perceived as a better water planning and storage system compared to Europe, where water is often " let go down the grid " due to abundance. He suggested that the industry needs to look broader, borrowing solutions from other sectors like pharmaceuticals which utilise glycol-based, closedloop or waterless cooling systems in their critical and constrained environments. This cross-industry collaboration is essential for finding new solutions.
Weber reinforced the severity of the water issue, stating that South African power stations consume 500-600 millimetres of water per kilowatt-hour generated.“ This makes considering alternatives like drilling boreholes for well water not just an option but a necessity to relieve pressure on municipal pipe systems. Beyond water, major urban centres like Johannesburg face critical shortages in power and even sewage infrastructure, further underscoring the need for diligence in resource consumption and on-site generation."
NAVIGATING MARKET DRIVERS AND REGULATORY REALITIES When asked about the current primary drivers for clients seeking data centre equipment, Perrin cautioned against immediately jumping to AI. He observed:“ There appears a current pause or step back in what was a‘ gold rush’ for hyperscalers, suggesting a period of market recalibration in recent months. Regional differences are also significant; while the Middle East faces harsh, high temperatures, South Africa grapples predominantly with grid constraints.” Perrin expressed concern that the over-regulation seen in Europe, driven by ambitious net-zero and global warming policies, is proving " toxic " for the industry, hindering growth, and he hoped this wouldn ' t spread to Africa,
( l-r) Georges Dubien, MEA sales director- data centres: Boreas and Exagate; Willem Weber, data centre environmental engineer at Master Power Technologies( MPT); Michael Byrne, head of data centre design & engineering EMEA at Eaton; and Lee Perrin, data centre lead, MEA.
www. refrigerationandaircon. co. za RACA Journal I September 2025 27