Microsoft pledges $1.7-B AI, cloud outlay in Indonesia
JAKARTA—Microsoft’s CEO pledged a $1.7-billion investment in artificial intelligence and cloud computing to help develop Indonesia’s AI infrastructure after a meeting with the archipelago’s president on Tuesday.
Indonesia is Southeast Asia’s biggest economy and has a population of around 280 million across its sprawling archipelago, with a growing demand for data centers and AI tech in the region.
Satya Nadella held talks with President Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, at Jakarta’s presidential palace before delivering a keynote speech about AI in the Indonesian capital.
“The thing I am really excited to announce today is the expanded announcement of data center investment, so $1.7 billion to bring the latest and greatest AI infrastructure to Indonesia,” Nadella told a crowd, adding data centers would be built in Indonesia soon.
“We are going to lead this wave in terms of the next generation of AI infrastructure that’s needed,” he said. “Our mission ultimately is to empower every person and every organization in Indonesia to take advantage of this next big AI wave.”
Nadella said the tech giant would provide AI training for hundreds of thousands of Indonesians.
“I’m very pleased to announce that we at Microsoft are going to train 2.5 million people by 2025 across the Asean region. In fact 840,000 right here in Indonesia alone,” he said.
Microsoft said in a statement the investment would be over four years. Dharma Simorangkir, Microsoft Indonesia’s president director, said it “sets a new milestone for Indonesia’s digital landscape.”
Nadella earlier told Jokowi the tech giant’s pledge was the “single biggest investment value” in the 29-year history of its business in Indonesia, Minister of Communication and Informatics Budi Arie Setiadi said in a statement.
A Microsoft statement later confirmed it was their biggest investment in the country. —AFP
