Nvidia and Indonesia’s telecommunications giant PT Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (IOH) have unveiled plans to establish a $200 million artificial intelligence hub in Central Java in 2024, as announced by the communication minister, Budi Arie Setiadi.
Setiadi outlined that the AI center, slated for Surakarta city, could encompass telecommunication infrastructure or serve as a human resource center. The decision to locate in Surakarta was attributed to the city’s readiness, robust human capital, and advanced 5G infrastructure.
The CEO of Indosat has briefed Surakarta’s mayor, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, who also holds the position of Indonesia’s vice president-elect and is the son of the current President Joko Widodo, about the investment initiative.
Moreover, recent developments in Indonesia’s telecommunications landscape have seen Indosat finalizing a deal to divest its data centers and edge sites portfolio to BDx Indonesia, a joint venture involving IOH, BDx Data Centers, and Lintasarta, for IDR2.6 billion (US$170m).
Following this transaction, Telkom Indonesia (Telkom) and Indosat Tbk (Indosat) have forged a strategic alliance to fortify the nation’s digital infrastructure through the establishment of an interconnected Internet Exchange (IX) ecosystem.
This collaboration will see NeutraDC, Telkom’s data center unit, and BDx Indonesia, Indosat’s data center partner, working together to enhance their respective data center businesses.