In what is described as a major boost to South Africa’s digital and AI capabilities, Touchnet, a business-to-business-focused internet service provider, in collaboration with global cloud provider Zadara, has officially launched a sovereign AI cloud infrastructure at Digital Parks Africa’s advanced, carrier-neutral Uptime Tier III Design Certified Data Centre in Samrand in the Gauteng province.
This strategic deployment is designed to provide local businesses with secure, high-performance access to GPU-powered cloud solutions tailored for AI workloads. GPU-powered cloud servers are said to deliver increased compute power and to be better equipped to handle modern technologies like AI.
The new sovereign AI infrastructure enables South African enterprises to run advanced AI applications locally while maintaining full sovereignty over their data.
This, says Touchnet, is a key concern for industries governed by strict compliance and data protection regulations. It is also becoming something of a trend in many countries keen to keep their data within national borders. And, of course, it means quicker access as it reduces latency.
Indeed, by hosting the solution at the Samrand facility, the partnership ensures low-latency access to compute power, enabling real-time processing for use cases such as machine learning, big data analytics, and generative AI.
This development then, not only reduces reliance on offshore cloud platforms but also supports local innovation by offering scalable, cost-effective access to powerful AI infrastructure.
Digital Parks Africa’s Samrand data centre, known for its robust security and energy efficiency, is said to provide the ideal environment for hosting sovereign cloud services. The partnership between Touchnet and Zadara, meanwhile, is expected to drive adoption across key sectors, including finance, healthcare, manufacturing, and education. Touchnet is a leading cloud solution provider and an expert in Zadara’s sovereign AI edge cloud solutions – including their implementation throughout Africa.
These Zadara solutions are said to be hugely popular on a global scale, with over 500 clouds and 250 partners across over 24 countries already operational.
