Johannesburg Becomes Africa's First Azure ExpressRoute Metro Hub, Bolstering AI Infrastructure

Cassava Technologies, through its business unit Africa Data Centres, has achieved a significant milestone by securing Africa's first Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute Metro peering location designation in Johannesburg, South Africa. This development positions Johannesburg alongside a select group of global technology hubs, offering organizations enhanced cloud resilience and security by routing a single connection through two peering locations within the same metro.

This designation means that Africa Data Centres' JHB1 facility now offers local ExpressRoute Metro capability, providing built-in redundancy crucial for mission-critical cloud workloads. Furthermore, Liquid C2, Cassava's cloud and cybersecurity arm, will leverage this to deliver a new service called Secure CloudConnect. This fully managed offering combines resilient private cloud connectivity with integrated cybersecurity, ensuring a secure and robust pathway to Microsoft Azure for businesses.

The strategic importance of this infrastructure extends directly to the continent's burgeoning AI landscape. Ziaad Suleman of Cassava Technologies highlighted that this development reflects growing confidence in Africa's capacity to support the next generation of cloud and AI-driven services. Similarly, Microsoft South Africa CEO Vukani Mngxati emphasized that the availability of ExpressRoute Metro in Johannesburg provides a more resilient and secure cloud path for critical workloads, asserting that South Africa is actively shaping, rather than merely awaiting, the AI era through trusted digital infrastructure.

This infrastructure upgrade is particularly timely as regulators increasingly focus on operational resilience, business continuity, risk management, and data protection. Liquid C2's Secure CloudConnect is designed to help organizations navigate these complex requirements, reducing disruption risks and strengthening their security posture. The improved connectivity and resilience are foundational for African enterprises looking to adopt advanced AI solutions, ensuring reliable access to the cloud resources necessary for AI model training, deployment, and data processing.

Ultimately, this achievement by Cassava Technologies not only enhances South Africa's digital infrastructure but also lays a critical groundwork for the broader adoption and development of AI across the African continent. By providing secure, resilient, and high-performance cloud connectivity, it empowers African businesses and innovators to fully participate in and benefit from the global AI revolution, fostering local digital transformation and economic growth.