---
title: "Watch — The wheeling and dealing behind South Africa’s AI factories"
description: "South Africa is in the grip of an infrastructure supercycle, but it isn’t roads or rails. It is the rise of the AI Factory, windowless fortresses consuming small cities worth of power. Daily Maverick’s Lindsey Schutters explains."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "VIDEO"
author: "Lindsey Schutters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/lindsey-schutters-2/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-03-18-watch-the-wheeling-and-dealing-behind-south-africas-ai-factories/"
published: "2026-03-18T11:50:47"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 46
---

# Watch — The wheeling and dealing behind South Africa’s AI factories

> South Africa is in the grip of an infrastructure supercycle, but it isn’t roads or rails. It is the rise of the AI Factory, windowless fortresses consuming small cities worth of power. Daily Maverick’s Lindsey Schutters explains.

By Lindsey Schutters · Published 18 March 2026, 13:50 SAST

## Content

[YouTube video: "YouTube video"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDpgwvzHwaQ)

[Media](https://player.simplecast.com/5d85c278-42ce-4a72-82f9-550575bde410?dark=false)

Reporting by: Lindsey Schutters & Tony Carnie 
Edited by: Anda Tolibadi 
Filmed by: Joel Seboa 
Produced by: Emilie Gambade 
Creative Lead by: Malibongwe Tyilo 
Sub-edited by: Kevin Flynn

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