- Indosat partners with Cisco and Nvidia to open a new AI Centre of Excellence in Jakarta.
- The hub aims to develop local talent and support Indonesia’s national AI strategy.
What happened: New Jakarta centre aims to accelerate AI skills and innovation
Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, Cisco and Nvidia have launched a joint Artificial Intelligence Centre of Excellence in Jakarta, Indonesia. The facility is part of a strategic initiative to support the country’s National AI Strategy, aimed at fostering local innovation and workforce readiness. The AI hub, located in Jakarta’s Indosat Innovation Lab, is designed to serve as a development platform for generative AI applications tailored to public and private sector use cases.
The launch was attended by Indonesia’s Minister of Communication and Informatics, Budi Arie Setiadi, who expressed support for the project’s goal of building a “sovereign digital ecosystem.” Indosat’s President Director and CEO Vikram Sinha said the centre will enable Indonesia to “lead the region in AI development” by equipping its people with essential skills. Cisco and Nvidia are contributing technological infrastructure and training resources, including access to Nvidia’s GPU computing systems and Cisco’s AI-native networking tools.
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Why this is important
This AI hub reflects a growing trend across Southeast Asia where governments and telecom operators are teaming up with tech multinationals to localise AI development. Indonesia, with over 270 million people and a growing digital economy, is positioning itself as a regional AI leader. The National Strategy for AI outlines priorities in health, education, bureaucracy reform, and smart cities, all of which could benefit from the Jakarta hub’s output.
In contrast to broader AI concerns around data control and talent shortage, this initiative directly invests in both. The presence of Nvidia and Cisco strengthens the technical backbone, while Indosat’s local reach makes community engagement feasible. However, execution remains critical. Similar ventures in other emerging markets have struggled with scalability and sustained funding.
Still, the project represents a positive step. As generative AI reshapes industries, regional capacity building is essential. If successful, Jakarta’s hub could become a blueprint for AI adoption in other developing nations.
