Jill Blaauw, Mami Mthimkhulu and Dakalo Ndangani from the Hardware Distribution sales team.
Hardware Distribution, an official distributor of ProLabs solutions across Africa, successfully showcased the latest in high-performance data centre and AI interconnect technology at the Africa Tech Festival, held in Cape Town from 11-13 November.
The company highlighted ProLabs’ advanced 100G optics and 200G InfiniBand DACs and optical transceivers, along with the newest 400G and 800G optical solutions purpose-built for AI and machine learning networks.
Hardware’s Nilesh Fakir and Jeremy Muller, and Chris Premeji and Chama Chinyanta from Paratus.
“As organisations accelerate their digital transformation and their ‘need for speed’, the requirement for robust, scalable and interoperable connectivity has never been greater,” said Gail Holt, Managing Director of Hardware Distribution. “ProLabs’ portfolio – especially the 100G optics, 200G InfiniBand solutions and the powerful 400G and 800G AI-optimised optic – gives our customers the high-performance foundation needed for next-generation data centres and AI workloads. We are proud to represent a partner that consistently engineers new technology ahead of market demand. And ProLabs optics offer much shorter lead times than the OEMs.”
Driving high-performance computing across the continent
From left: Hardware’s Dakalo Ndangani, Stasi Haralambous, Jill Blaauw, Nilesh Fakir and Priscilla Ponambalum, and Roobesh Loolchand from Mauritius Telecom.
During the event, Hardware Distribution demonstrated how 100G and 200G InfiniBand DACs and optics deliver ultra-low-latency, high-bandwidth connectivity essential for HPC clusters, cloud providers and enterprises scaling their infrastructure. With strong interoperability across major OEM platforms, ProLabs’ solutions allow companies to expand seamlessly without the cost pressures of OEM prices.
Purpose-built optics for the AI era
Hardware MD Gail Holt discussing InfiniBand products on the stand with Camtel.
ProLabs’ 400G and 800G optical transceiver – designed specifically for GPU-accelerated environments – were a key attraction at the festival. These next-generation optics enable the high-capacity data flows required for AI, inference, and high-density compute fabrics.
“AI is reshaping every industry, and the networks that support AI must evolve just as rapidly,” added Holt. “ProLabs’ 400G and 800G optics deliver the scale, efficiency and reliability needed for modern AI architectures, at a significantly lower price point. These technologies will play an essential role in powering every country in Africa’s next wave of innovation. ProLabs offers the products to support these AI projects”
Gail Holt, Jill Blaauw, Dakalo Ndangani.
Commitment to Africa’s digital growth
Hardware Distribution reaffirmed its commitment to providing the African market with world-class connectivity components that are certified, reliable and cost-effective. Through its partnership with ProLabs, the company continues to support ISPs, data centres, cloud providers, network operators and enterprises in achieving high-performance infrastructure.
