Google plans to launch its first African Digital Exchange Port in the Eastern Cape, positioning SA as a strategic international internet connectivity hub linking Africa to Australia and India via new subsea cable infrastructure.
The Digital Exchange Port is the first of four connectivity hubs Google has committed to building across Africa.
The announcement was made at the inaugural Google Cloud Summit Africa yesterday, in Johannesburg, which saw a gathering of over 3 000 business leaders, developers, public sector leaders and partners.
Speaking during the event, James Manyika, Google senior VP for research, labs, technology and society, said the Digital Exchange Port will anchor SA as a major international switching point, directly connecting the continent to Australia through the Umoja subsea cable, while also supporting a new subsea route to India.
The infrastructure investment is aimed at improving internet connectivity, strengthening resilience and supporting reliable cloud services across Africa, while boosting economic growth and digital innovation, he noted.
"The South Africa digital exchange port is a way to take advantage of the larger cable that we've got that runs to Central Africa through South Africa to Australia," explained Manyika.
"That's an investment we're making to improve the connectivity for businesses, while supporting Google's cloud platform. At the same time, it builds on our cloud infrastructure, meaning it's going to give South African innovators and businesses the connectivity solutions and compute power they need."
A Digital Exchange Port is a major internet connectivity hub where international subsea cables, cloud infrastructure and communication networks come together to exchange data quickly and efficiently.
According to Google, the port will improve internet connectivity for SA and the rest of the continent by creating a high-capacity gateway, where international subsea cables, internet service providers, cloud platforms and enterprise networks can interconnect and exchange traffic more directly, rather than routing data through multiple overseas networks.
Manyika did not disclose the value of the investment in the Eastern Cape Digital Exchange Port, but noted the project forms part of Google’s broader infrastructure investments in Africa, having already exceeded its $1 billion (R16.4 million) investment commitment to the continent.
The new hub builds on the company's investments in subsea connectivity, which include the Equiano, Umoja and India-Africa subsea cables.
AI-ready infrastructure
Beyond improving international internet connectivity, Google said the Digital Exchange Port will provide businesses and developers with the computing resources required to build and deploy artificial intelligence (AI) applications.
Speaking alongside Manyika, Maureen Costello, VP for UK, Ireland and Sub-Saharan Africa at Google Cloud, said the investment combines high-speed connectivity with access to advanced AI infrastructure.
She noted that customers will be able to use Google's Gemini Enterprise platform and agentic AI capabilities. "You will have heard us talk about Gemini Enterprise, our agentic platform that allows developers to work with our models to build on top of that and to innovate."
Manyika pointed out the Eastern Cape was deliberately selected as the location for the new connectivity hub, reflecting its intention to ensure digital infrastructure investments benefit regions beyond SA’s major economic centres.
Google also wanted the project to contribute to local economic development alongside its technical objectives.
"I think making these investments in ways that both stimulate and benefit the economy around these places is quite important. The four planned Digital Exchange Ports will help create a more resilient African internet ecosystem by improving regional and international connectivity, while supporting the continent's accelerating adoption of cloud computing and artificial intelligence,” Manyika pointed out.
President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered a keynote at the summit, stating: "Today’s Google Cloud Summit affirms Africa’s position as a core growth region for the global cloud ecosystem.
“As we step boldly into the age of artificial intelligence, our aspiration is to anchor South Africa as a catalyst for the continent's digital ascendancy. By building robust infrastructure to harness this technology, we are doing more than modernising our economy, we are taking a quantum leap into the future.”
Broader AI investment push
Beyond the Digital Exchange Port, Google unveiled a series of new AI, start-up and digital skills initiatives to accelerate Africa's AI ecosystem and expand access to advanced technologies across the continent:
- Google's Economic and Community Development programme, in collaboration with WeThinkCode, will invest R3 million to establish a digital innovation centre at the George Tabor Campus of South West Gauteng TVET College in Soweto. The centre is intended to expand digital skills development and create opportunities for talent traditionally overlooked by the technology industry.
- The company also announced that applications for the 2026 South African cohort of the Google for Start-ups Accelerator will open on 21 July. Fifteen local start-ups will be selected to participate in an AI-focused programme offering mentorship, technical support and non-dilutive, equity-free funding, contributing towards Google's commitment to support 50 African start-ups between 2024 and 2028.
- Google has partnered with Idris Elba-owned media company, The Akuna Group, backed by more than $1 million (R17 million) in Google.org funding, to provide AI-focused creative education and digital tools for underrepresented African creators. The initiative is designed to help creators tell locally-rooted stories using AI, while opening new pathways for professional growth.
- Africa's first Applied AI Lab, launched in Ghana, was also among the announcements. Developed through the Google AI Futures Fund, Google Research and venture capital partners, the Google Africa Applied AI Lab will pair African founders with Google researchers, while providing early access to the company's latest AI models.
These announcements build on Google's existing AI initiatives across Africa, including partnerships to develop AI-powered tools for early hunger forecasting and crop resilience, funding for AI start-ups, and digital skills programmes through Google Career Certificate scholarships.
Manyika commented: “The AI opportunity for Africa is significant, and Google is committed to doing our part in working with Africans to help Africa realise it. Building on our past commitments, we're making new investments in critical areas: infrastructure, African-led innovation, and education and skill building.
“From a new Digital Exchange Port in the Eastern Cape, to Africa's first Applied AI Lab, we're harnessing technical progress and building partnerships to amplify and scale Africa's incredible vibrancy, hustle and innovation for the world."
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