Kathy Gibson reports – In a first for Africa, Google Cloud has launched a Johannesburg region, joining its global network of 40 regions and 121 zones.
Solly Malatsi, Minister of Communications and Digital Technology, says the opening of the cloud region is an important step in strengthening South Africa’s digital ecosystems.
“We extend our sincere appreciation to Google for this investment in the country’s digital future,” he says. “It supports our vision to make South Africa a technological hub for Africa.”
At the same time, investments like this cloud region are crucial to building the country’s infrastructure, Malatsi adds.
“It strengthens our digital backbone, enabling businesses, entrepreneurs and public institution to operate with greater efficiency and scale their operations. And it enables South African organisations to operate on a level playing field with the world’s best, by building infrastructure essential to bridging the digital divide.”
South Africa embodies the spirit of agility, says Tara Brady, president of Google Cloud EMEA.
Despite challenges like massive youth unemployment, technology could help the country to leapfrog and become an innovation hub, he adds.
Indeed, Brady says Google Cloud expects this region to fuel $90,6-billion in economic output through Africa by 2030, while unlocking more than 300 000 jobs.
“The time to secure your future is now,” he says.
Brady adds that Google Cloud is the most secure cloud, with the best uptime, a legacy that will be enhanced by the company’s acquisition yesterday of Wiz.
In a world where artificial intelligence (AI) and data are key business and technology drivers, Brady points out that Google has been a leader in AI and deep learning models since 2008.
“And we are at the forefront of building AI models, with Gemini 2.0,” he adds. “In addition, our Google DeepMine research lab fuels progress”
Data is key to effective AI use cases, so Google grounds all data on Google search, and enables third-party models to do so as well.
Flexibility is vital to Google full-stack offering, Brady adds, and Google prides itself on building strong and enduring relationships that don’t lock customers in.
“When business needs to evolve, your cloud should be able to accommodate changes,” he says.
Alex Okosi, MD of Google Sub-Saharan Africa, points out that the cloud region is Google’s latest investment into the African technology ecosystem.
“It is well equipped to serve public and private sector organisations in South Africa and across the region,” he says.
Google has made a commitment to invest $1-billion to boost Africa’s digital transformation, spanning six areas: connectivity, productivity, skilling, products, entrepreneurs and society.
However, Okosi stresses that achieving the transformation requires action from private enterprise and government.
“Governments should prioritise cloud-first technologies,” he says. “And South Africa has taken the first steps.”
The next step requires partnerships between government and the private sector.
“At Google, we are excited to be at the forefront of Africa’s digital transformation.”
In addition to the infrastructure investment, Google South African has also hosted training for learners and business owners in programmes like Cloud OnBoard, Cloud Hero and Google Hustle Academy, which cover technology topics like generative AI (GenAI), machine learning (ML), application and infrastructure modernisation, data and analytics, and digital marketing.
The launch of Google Cloud will also enhance the numerous programmes Google operates for African startups including Black Founders Fund Africa and Google for Startups Accelerator Africa, which has supported 106 startups across 17 African countries — startups that have collectively raised over $263-million in funding and created over 2 800 direct jobs.
“Bringing Google Cloud services closer to our local customers will enable them to innovate and securely deliver faster, more reliable experiences to their own customers. This will also contribute a cumulative $2,1-billion to South Africa’s GDP and support the creation of more than 40 000 jobs by 2030,” according to Ferdinand Steenkamp, co-founder at Tregter, a locally-founded data company.
“With Africa’s internet economy estimated to reach $180-billion by 2025, this sector will account for 5,2% of the continent’s GDP. Google South Africa’s secure, high-performance, low-latency cloud service will put South Africa at the cutting edge of this technological revolution on the continent” he adds.