Google is setting up its first African cloud region
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Google will launch its first cloud region in Cape Town, South Africa, as part of its wider plans to invest $1 billion in the continent.
The project uses “Equiano”, Google’s private submarine cable that will connect Africa to Europe, along the west coast of Africa between Portugal and South Africa.
The new cloud region will reportedly contribute more than $2.1 billion to South Africa’s GDP and help create more than 40,000 jobs by 2030, according to research commissioned by Google Cloud.
What does this mean for users?
Google Cloud Africa director, Niral Patel, said the new region will “take care of the localization of applications and services.”
In addition, the director said the region will “really make it easier for our customers and partners to quickly deploy solutions for their businesses, where they will be able to leverage our computer artificial intelligence or machine learning capabilities, and data analysis to make smarter business decisions as they go further”.
Google’s decision to expand its presence in Africa may have more significance than meets the eye at first.
Some African countries, for example Kenya, have recently expanded their data protection regulations, which could lead to more companies in the area prioritizing cloud sovereignty issues.
Any company that processes personal data in the country is now required to register with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC).
“What we’re doing here is giving customers and partners a choice of where to store their data and where to use cloud services, especially in the context of data sovereignty,” said Google’s Niral Patel. “This allows customers to then store the data in the country if they choose…I think for me the most important element is that it gives customers the element of choice.”
Google is the last of the three major cloud providers to have established a base in South Africa.
Microsoft launched cloud regions in Cape Town and Johannesburg in 2019, while Amazon Web Services set up a data center in Cape Town in 2020 and Oracle set up a data center in Johannesburg in 2021.
The news comes as Google looks to expand its presence globally. The announcement follows a recent preview launch of cloud regions in Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, Thailand and New Zealand.
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