Government invites private sector for data center's development

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Communication and Digital (Kemkomdigi) is exploring collaboration opportunities to strengthen the digital ecosystem, particularly in data centers, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital connectivity.

Minister of Communication and Digital Meutya Hafid stated in Jakarta on Friday that Indonesia is open to public-private partnerships (PPPs) to expand the development of the National Data Center (PDN).

"We are changing our approach. Previously, the PDN was solely built by the government. Now, we will involve the ecosystem. We are opening opportunities for public-private partnerships to develop a national digital data center ecosystem," Hafid stated.

The discussion on collaboration opportunities was held with Singaporean telecommunications operator Singapore Telecommunications Limited (Singtel).

According to Hafid, the exclusive approach that relies solely on government infrastructure needs to be transformed into a collaborative and competitive model.

Government-private sector collaboration also extends the responsible development of AI. Hafid cited Singapore as a regional benchmark for AI governance and welcomed the shared strategic vision with the mobile operator.

"AI is one of our key concerns regarding how to mitigate and embrace this new technology. Of course, Singapore will serve as a role model for us in this regard, having started early," Hafid stated.

Besides data centers and AI, she highlighted digital connectivity as the government's immediate priority in addressing network blackouts in the frontier, underdeveloped, and outermost (3T) regions. She stressed the significant roles of cellular operators Telkom, Telkomsel, and Singtel in reaching underserved areas.

"One of our quick wins is achieving zero blackouts. We believe close collaboration with Telkomsel and Singtel will accelerate this achievement," she explained.

Hafid also emphasized the urgency of building a resilient and collective regional digital ecosystem amid global geopolitical challenges.