Teraco Data Environments has announced an initiative to enable VMware cloud verified partners using Teraco data centre facilities achieve VMware zero carbon committed status and badging. This will help enterprise clients and cloud providers in Sub-Saharan Africa transition to zero-carbon clouds and pursue sustainability and supply chain decarbonisation strategies.
As a leading provider of co-location data centres and interconnection platforms in Africa, Teraco made significant strides in building a sustainable future for its business and its clients, with activities spanning the environment, social governance and community upliftment. Despite challenging regulations and legislation around the generation and supply of renewable energy in South Africa, Teraco is committed to accelerating the shift to renewable energy and offering its clients, including cloud providers, a route to reduce their carbon footprint.
Teraco has committed to powering its data centre co-location facilities with 50% renewable energy by 2027 and 100% by 2035. It will also maximise its combined rooftop solar footprint across its facilities to 6MW by 2023. VMware cloud verified providers, who host their cloud platforms at the Teraco data centre facilities, have an opportunity to leverage Teraco’s sustainability commitment to attain zero carbon committed status.
“At Teraco, we understand that our success lies in tandem with that of our clients. This is why sustainability is a business imperative; it goes beyond just renewable energy and our environmental impact, extending to our people’s well-being and development, how we support and uplift our communities and making sure we continue to grow our business in the right way,” said Bryce Allan, head of sustainability, Teraco Data Environments.
“Teraco’s sustainability goals extend to investing in our rooftop and utility-scale solar energy programme as well as partnering or working with 3rd party renewable energy providers and stakeholders across the private and public sector to deliver renewable energy to our facilities. Working with VMware cloud providers, this initiative is the perfect catalyst to assist VMware cloud verified partners and their clients who want to move to the cloud and pursue their sustainability goals,” added Allan.
This initiative has been met with resounding support from Teraco’s clients and the South African-based VMware cloud verified partner community, many of which use Teraco’s data centre facilities. Five of these partners have just recently achieved VMware zero carbon committed status.
“Teraco has set ambitious targets and is pioneering the shift to carbon neutrality within the African data centre industry. Its environmental, social and governance goals and commitments are closely aligned to VMware’s 2030 agenda. This collaboration provides VMware cloud verified providers with an invaluable and timely opportunity to jump-start their transition to zero-carbon clouds and, in turn, enable their clients to decarbonise their digital footprints,” said Sumeeth Singh, cloud provider business head, VMware Sub-Saharan Africa.
Teraco is dedicated to protecting, connecting and growing the enterprises and ecosystems shaping Africa’s digital future sustainably and responsibly. In line with this objective, Teraco recently underwent an independent ESG sustainability rating through EcoVadis and obtained a silver rating. The rating scores the ESG performance of a company across several themes, including environment, labour, human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement.
“We are delighted to be working in collaboration with VMware; their focus on carbon neutrality resonates with that of Teraco, as we have an open access platform philosophy offering connections to all the cloud onramps, both public and private,” said Michele McCann, head, interconnection and peering, Teraco Data Environments.
For information on VMware’s journey to net zero and the zero carbon committed initiative, please visit https://www.vmware.com/company/net-zero.html or reach out to ZeroCarbonCommitted@vmware.com
