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Indonesia, recognized as one of the world’s most dynamic emerging markets, is ambitiously advancing towards its "Golden 2045 Vision." This initiative aims to harness the power of digital technologies, uniting government entities, businesses, startups, and academic institutions to boost productivity, efficiency, and innovation across various sectors. A pivotal component of this vision is the development of a robust AI infrastructure, which is set to play a critical role in the nation’s transformation.
In a significant move to bolster this effort, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, commonly referred to as Indosat or IOH, has joined forces with tech giants Cisco and NVIDIA. This partnership is geared towards establishing Indonesia’s AI Center of Excellence (CoE), a project led by the Ministry of Communications and Digital Affairs, known as Komdigi. The CoE aims to enhance secure technologies, nurture local talent, and drive innovation by collaborating with startups.
During a recent discussion at Indonesia AI Day, a conference dedicated to exploring AI’s potential to enhance the country’s digital autonomy and economic prospects, key figures from the collaborating companies outlined the CoE’s objectives. Vikram Sinha, President Director and CEO of Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, Chuck Robbins, Chair and CEO of Cisco, and Ronnie Vasishta, Senior Vice President of Telecom at NVIDIA, highlighted the transformative potential of the CoE.
The CoE will feature a new NVIDIA AI Technology Center, which will provide research support, benefits from the NVIDIA Inception program for eligible startups, and training and certification from the NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute to help develop local talent. These initiatives are designed to ensure that Indonesians not only utilize AI technology but also contribute to its creation and innovation.
Sinha expressed optimism about the partnership, stating, "With the support of global partners, we’re accelerating Indonesia’s path to economic growth by ensuring Indonesians are not just users of AI, but creators and innovators." Robbins emphasized the importance of digital skills in the AI era, noting, "The AI era demands fundamental architectural shifts and a workforce with digital skills to thrive. Together with Indosat, NVIDIA, and Komdigi, Cisco will securely power the AI Center of Excellence — enabling innovation and skills development, and accelerating Indonesia’s growth."
Vasishta reiterated the importance of making AI accessible to all, saying, "Democratizing AI is more important than ever. Through the new NVIDIA AI Technology Center, we’re helping Indonesia build a sustainable AI ecosystem that can serve as a model for nations looking to harness AI for innovation and economic growth."
Making AI More Accessible
The Indonesia AI CoE will incorporate an AI factory featuring a comprehensive suite of NVIDIA AI infrastructure, including NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs, NVIDIA Cloud Partner reference architectures, and NVIDIA AI Enterprise software. Additionally, an intelligent security system powered by Cisco, known as the Sovereign Security Operations Center Cloud Platform, will be implemented. This system combines AI-based threat detection, localized data control, and managed security services to safeguard the AI factory.
Expanding on sovereign AI initiatives announced with NVIDIA last year, the CoE will strengthen Indonesia’s AI strategy through four fundamental pillars:
- Sovereign Infrastructure: Establish AI infrastructure for secure, scalable, high-performance AI workloads aligned with Indonesia’s digital goals.
- Secure AI Workloads: Leverage Cisco’s intelligent infrastructure to protect the nation’s digital assets and intellectual property.
- AI for All: Provide AI access to hundreds of millions of Indonesians by 2027, overcoming geographical barriers and empowering developers nationwide.
- Talent and Development Ecosystem: Aim to equip one million people with digital skills in networking, security, and AI by 2027.
Currently, 28 independent software vendors and startups are utilizing IOH’s NVIDIA-powered AI infrastructure to develop state-of-the-art technologies. These innovations are designed to enhance workflows in higher education and research, food security, bureaucratic reform, smart city development, mobility, and healthcare.
With Indosat’s extensive network coverage throughout the archipelago, the company can disseminate its large language model (LLM)-powered applications to millions of Bahasa Indonesian speakers. For instance, in collaboration with the Indonesian government and Hippocratic AI, Indosat is developing an AI agent system using its Sahabat-AI collection of Bahasa Indonesian LLMs. This system offers preventative outreach services, such as assisting women over the age of 50 in scheduling mammograms, which could help combat breast cancer and other health issues.
Moreover, Sahabat-AI empowers Indosat’s AI chatbot to respond to inquiries in the Indonesian language regarding various citizen and resident services. These inquiries might include procedures for updating national identification cards, as well as tax rates, payment processes, and deductions.
In addition, a government-led forum is crafting trustworthy AI frameworks that align with Indonesian values to ensure the safe and responsible development of artificial intelligence and related policies.
Looking ahead, Indosat and NVIDIA plan to implement AI-RAN technologies to further expand their reach, utilizing AI over wireless networks to engage broader audiences.
For further information about NVIDIA-powered AI infrastructure for telecommunications companies, you can visit NVIDIA’s official website. This initiative represents a significant step forward for Indonesia, propelling the nation toward a future where it not only embraces AI technology but also leads in its development and application.
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