Tag: data centre

South Africa’s financial institutions are rewriting the rules of banking technology. The cloud has become a new balance sheet of innovation. For decades, the country’s banking sector has punched above its weight. For example, it provided electronic banking long before many global peers.

Globally, companies are embracing multi-cloud and hybrid strategies. In 2023 alone, organisations spent $270 billion on cloud infrastructure services. This represented a $45 billion increase compared to the previous year. As such, connectivity must now adapt to handle the complexity of data transit across dispersed geographic locations.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer just a tool for progress. It is quickly becoming a test of responsibility. South African companies race to harness artificial intelligence for innovation and growth, but few ask the most critical question: at what environmental cost?

Google is betting big on South Africa’s digital future. It is projecting R90 billion in economic output resulting from its new Johannesburg cloud region.

The expansion of the current data centre landscape is certainly making history. Its growth is almost reminiscent of time-lapse photography. In this scenario, we - the subjects - stand still while the data centre builds move around us at remarkable speed. Statistics support this observation. Database Trends and Applications cites that the global data centre market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.30% from 2024 to 2032.

While Artificial Intelligence’s (AI) mammoth energy requirements have been widely publicised, its water footprint receives far less attention. World Water Day, celebrated on 22 March 2025, provides an opportunity to highlight AI’s lesser-known environmental impact - its water usage.

In 2025, the business world will transform rapidly due to exciting advancements in technology. Artificial Intelligence (AI) will lead this charge, introducing groundbreaking trends that redefine IT strategies.

Embracing complex strategies over silver bullets is the key to sustainable business growth, as quick fixes often fail to address underlying challenges. Magical catch-all solutions that solve every business problem simply don’t exist. It’s time businesses lean into complexity instead of fearing it.

Legal opportunities in mining are rapidly expanding as South Africa’s mining sector continues to evolve. This offers significant growth and policy influence. In recent months, a wave of international law firms has closed their doors in South Africa. They cite challenges like economic uncertainty. As a mining lawyer, I have a deep-rooted belief in this country’s potential.

In a world where computational power drives countless systems, processes, and daily activities, prioritising data centre operations is essential. The data centre acts as the glue holding the inanimate world together. A data centre is the unsung hero behind artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and high-performance computing (HPC).