The Ministry of Communications and Digital Affairs of Indonesia (Komdigi) has started Indonesia’s AI Center of Excellence. This national project aims to help Indonesia become stronger in AI by working together with companies like Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, Cisco, and NVIDIA.
Indosat said in a statement last Friday that the Center of Excellence is powered by cutting-edge NVIDIA technology, secured by Cisco’s intelligent infrastructure, and enabled by the capabilities of Indonesia’s leading digital telcos.
This project shows a shared promise to grow Indonesia’s own AI skills and make AI available to everyone—people in cities and villages, businesses big and small, the government, and all citizens.
The Indonesia AI Center of Excellence is based on six key parts that help improve AI development.
The Indonesia AI Center of Excellence includes several important parts: a secure AI Sandbox where real-world applications can be developed to solve industry problems; training programs to certify tens of thousands of Indonesians in AI and data science; an accelerator to support local AI startups; an enterprise hub that helps businesses work together to create AI solutions for different industries; a platform for developing national large language models; and a national think-tank that guides the creation of responsible and ethical AI policies based on local values.
“This collaboration proves that digital sovereignty can be built together. We want Indonesia to be more than just a technology market—we want it to be a home for innovation and the creation of AI technologies that are relevant to the nation’s needs,” said Meutya Hafid, Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia.
Vikram Sinha, President Director and Chief Executive Officer of Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, emphasized that the AI Center of Excellence is not just about deploying technology—it is about making AI accessible.
“At Indosat, we believe AI must be a force for inclusion, not just in access, but in opportunity. 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,
“This initiative will translate into a commitment to develop talent, build national capabilities, and shape a future where Indonesia leads in AI, not follows. It is reinforcing our larger purpose to empower Indonesia,” he added.
Chuck Robbins, Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Cisco, said the AI era demands fundamental architectural shifts and a workforce with the digital skills to thrive.
“Together with Indosat, NVIDIA, and KOMDIGI, Cisco will securely power the AI Centre of Excellence, enabling innovation, skills development, and accelerating Indonesia’s economic growth,
“Cisco is proud to build on over 25 years of partnership with Indonesia’s public and private sectors to help shape their digital future,” he added.
According to the statement, the Indonesia AI Center of Excellence will supercharge Indonesia’s AI ambitions through four strategic approaches.
First, there is sovereign infrastructure. Indosat and NVIDIA are collaborating to develop Indonesia’s first large-scale AI system, designed to be fast, powerful, and contribute to the country’s technological independence. This system will support strong and secure AI projects to help Indonesia grow its digital skills and create new ideas. Indosat, with its AI Factory called Lintasarta, will be the first in Southeast Asia to use a special NVIDIA system that speeds up advanced AI and computing.
Second, there is a secure infrastructure. Cisco will provide a safe and innovative system to protect Indonesia’s digital information and ideas. Cisco’s network will keep everything safe and create a strong base for the AI Center of Excellence. This includes a special security center called the Sovereign Security Operations Center (SOC) Cloud Platform. It will use new tools like Splunk and Cisco’s security services to find threats quickly, control data safely, and work smoothly with the country’s systems. This helps organizations in Indonesia protect their digital data and follow important rules.
Third, there is AI for all. The AI Center of Excellence will work to give hundreds of millions of Indonesians access to AI by 2027, using Indosat’s wide mobile network across the country.
This project makes AI available to everyone, no matter where they live in Indonesia. It helps developers all over the islands and ensures that everyone can benefit from AI.
Fourth, the center will help build talent and support the AI community. They plan to teach 1 million Indonesians important digital skills like networking, security, and AI by 2027.
NVIDIA will help with research through its AI Technology Center, support startups with its Inception program, and offer training and certificates through its Deep Learning Institute.
Cisco will provide training through its Networking Academy to prepare 500,000 Indonesians for future jobs in the digital economy by 2030.
“Democratizing AI is more important than ever,
“Through strategic collaborations, developer enablement and wireless infrastructure guidance, we’re helping Indonesia build a sustainable AI ecosystem that will help to create a blueprint for how nations can harness AI to uplift every citizen,” said Ronnie Vasishta, Senior Vice President of Telecom at NVIDIA.
According to the statement, this cross-sector initiative reflects a bold national step toward inclusive innovation, sovereign secure infrastructure, and global competitiveness.
By anchoring public-private collaboration through Komdigi, Indonesia is setting the course to become a leader in the global AI landscape—powered by its people, protected by its sovereignty, and driven by purpose.
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