Indonesia Launches First University-Based AI Technology Center with NVIDIA and Indosat

The Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi), Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (IOH), NVIDIA, and Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) launched the UGM Indosat NVIDIA AI Technology Center (NVAITC) in Yogyakarta. This center is the first university-based AI technology center in Indonesia and operates under the national AI Center of Excellence initiative to develop AI solutions for urgent national priorities.

The facility provides UGM researchers and students with enterprise-grade accelerated computing, AI software, and technical mentorship. The center is powered by NVIDIA’s full-stack AI platform and GPU Merdeka, which is Indosat’s sovereign GPU-as-a-service platform. This infrastructure allows local developers to access pretrained models and development frameworks that were previously difficult to obtain at scale.

National AI Sovereignty and Infrastructure

The initiative aims to transition Indonesia from a consumer of AI to a developer of the technology. Meutya Hafid, Indonesia’s Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs, stated that the center lays the foundations for AI sovereignty to drive economic growth and national competitiveness.

The Indonesia AI Center of Excellence reflects our long-term vision to position Indonesia as a nation that not only adopts AI but also develops and contributes AI innovations to the world. Through initiatives like this, we are laying the foundations of Indonesia’s AI sovereignty and ensuring AI becomes a driver of economic growth, national competitiveness and solutions to Indonesia’s most pressing challenges.

Meutya Hafid, Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs

Vikram Sinha, president director and CEO of Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, noted that the center expands access for startups, innovators, and students across the country. He said the goal is to ensure no Indonesian is left behind in the AI era by bringing global expertise to the local ecosystem.

Marc Hamilton, vice president of solutions architecture and engineering at NVIDIA, said the company is equipping Indonesian talent with NVIDIA Nemotron open models. Hamilton stated that these tools are intended to help researchers turn potential into innovation with both local and global impact.

Priority AI Projects in Healthcare and Agriculture

The center has launched three initial projects targeting healthcare, agriculture, and disaster response. In healthcare, the UGM Faculty of Medicine Public Health and Nursing team is developing eNose-TB, an AI-powered electronic screening technology. Led by dr.

As researchers, we have always believed that technology developed in Indonesia can solve Indonesian challenges. Through the center, access to world-class AI infrastructure and expertise will help us accelerate our research and bring us closer to our dream of developing affordable and accessible healthcare technologies that can improve lives across Indonesia.

dr. Dian Kesumapramudya Nurputra

For the agricultural sector, which employs nearly 30% of the Indonesian workforce, the center is implementing SmartAgri. This project uses multimodal AI—combining sensor data, satellite imagery, and local knowledge—with edge computing to provide precision farming recommendations for smallholders and specific Indonesian terrains.

Geospatial AI for Disaster Preparedness

The third primary project, Tech4Disaster, addresses Indonesia’s location on the Pacific Ring of Fire. The project utilizes NVIDIA accelerated computing to build a geospatial AI platform. This system processes sensor and satellite data to provide emergency responders with faster coordination tools and earlier warnings for natural disasters.

Prof. dr. Ova Emilia, Ph.D. of UGM, stated that the university is committed to research and innovation that delivers societal impact. She said the initiative supports national priorities in talent development and research downstreaming by accelerating AI adoption.