Komdigi Anchors Indonesia’s AI Centre of Excellence to Advance National AI Competitiveness

The Ministry of Communications and Digital Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia (Komdigi) has officially anchored the establishment of Indonesia’s AI Centre of Excellence—a national initiative aimed at accelerating the country’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) competitiveness through a strategic collaboration with Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (Indosat or IOH), Cisco, and NVIDIA.

The Komdigi-led Centre 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. It represents a shared commitment to advancing AI sovereignty, building national capabilities, and enabling AI access for all Indonesians—rural and urban, corporate and startup, government, and citizens.

The Indonesia AI Centre of Excellence is built on six institutional pillars to drive AI advancement. These are:

1. A secure AI Sandbox for developing real-world applications to solve industry problems
2. Trainings to certify tens of thousands of Indonesians in AI and data science
3. An accelerator to support local AI startups
4. An enterprise hub for co-creating industry use cases
5. A platform to develop national large language models
6. A national think-tank to guide responsible, ethical AI policy rooted in 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 the Komdigi.

Vikram Sinha, President Director and CEO of Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, emphasised that the Komdigi-backed AI Centre 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,” he noted. “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.”

Chuck Robbins, Chair and CEO at 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 and 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.”

Komdigi Ushers in New Era of AI Ambitions

The Indonesia AI Centre of Excellence will supercharge Indonesia’s AI ambitions through four strategic approaches:

• Sovereign infrastructure: Indosat and NVIDIA are leading the charge to expand Indonesia’s first sovereign AI infrastructure built for scale, performance, and national self-reliance. This platform will deliver a world-class foundation for secure, high-performance AI workloads, uniquely designed to empower Indonesia’s digital ambitions and accelerate homegrown innovation. Indosat, through its AI Factory, Lintasarta will be the first in South East Asia to integrate the NVIDIA GB200 NVL72, designed to accelerate next-generation generative AI and high-performance computing (HPC).

• Secure Infrastructure: Cisco will deliver secure, intelligent infrastructure to protect Indonesia’s digital assets and intellectual property. With advanced security embedded in the network, Cisco will create a resilient foundation for the nation’s AI Centre of Excellence. This is anchored by a Sovereign Security Operations Centre (SOC) Cloud Platform, powered by Indonesia’s first use of Splunk and Cisco’s Managed Security Services Solutions. The SOC will combine AI-powered threat detection, localized data controls, and seamless integration with national infrastructure, empowering Indonesian organizations to secure their digital assets and ensure compliance.

• AI for All: The AI COE will look to provide hundreds of millions of Indonesians with access to AI by 2027 leveraging Indosat’s extensive mobile network infrastructure. This effort democratizes AI, breaks down geographical barriers, empowers developers across the archipelago and ensures that all citizens benefit from AI.
• Talent and Ecosystem Development: The centre is committed to equipping 1 million Indonesians with digital skills in networking, security, and AI by 2027. NVIDIA will provide research support through its AI Technology Center, start-up assistance through its Inception program, and training and certification via its Deep Learning Institute. Cisco will provide training through the Cisco Networking Academy, creating a future-ready workforce to power the digital economy as part of its commitment to equip 500,000 Indonesians by 2030.

“Democratising AI is more important than ever,” said Ronnie Vasishta, Senior Vice President of Telecom at NVIDIA. “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.”

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.