Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia \u2014 Growth in Indonesia\u2019s data-centre capacity\nhas not automatically strengthened the country\u2019s sovereignty in\nartificial intelligence (AI).<\/p>\n
The government says Indonesia needs to master the foundations of\ntechnology, from computing infrastructure to the semiconductor industry,\nto compete in the global technology supply chain.<\/p>\n
Deputy Minister of Communication and Digital Nezar Patria said\nIndonesia needs to secure strategic points in the global supply chain to\nbuild an independent AI industry.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen discussing our strategy for digital sovereignty, we must secure\na number of choke points in the global supply chain to strengthen the AI\nindustry,\u201d Nezar said, according to a written statement on Friday (23\nOctober 2026).<\/p>\n
Nezar said digital sovereignty must be built as an ecosystem\nencompassing physical infrastructure, data, cyber security, governance,\nand research and innovation capabilities.<\/p>\n
Mastery of technology, he said, should not be measured solely by the\navailability of data centres, but also by the country\u2019s ability to\ndevelop and control the strategic technologies that underpin the AI\necosystem.<\/p>\n
He stressed that computing power is a crucial foundation in global\ntechnological competition.<\/p>\n
That capability depends on reliable energy supplies, robust\nconnectivity, data centres, cloud computing and the semiconductor\nindustry.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the age of artificial intelligence, computing occupies a position\nlike electricity in the digital economy. Computing power is the\nelectricity of the digital economy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Indonesia\u2019s data-centre capacity is currently estimated at around 580\nmegawatts and is targeted to rise to 1.3 gigawatts by 2027\u201328.<\/p>\n
However, this remains below Malaysia\u2019s capacity of around 3\ngigawatts.<\/p>\n
Nezar said Indonesia needs to strengthen planning and governance for\ndata-centre development so that growth can sustainably meet the needs of\nthe national digital economy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to organise and also put safeguards in place for data-centre\ndevelopment so that it can grow well in the future,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Alongside computing infrastructure, strengthening the semiconductor\nindustry is important to the strategy of mastering technology further up\nthe supply chain.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have nickel, bauxite, tin and gold, as well as a number of\nrare-earth metals that are currently in global demand to strengthen the\nsemiconductor industry,\u201d Nezar said.<\/p>\n
He said this potential needs to be developed into higher-value\ncomponents so that Indonesia does not remain merely a supplier of raw\nmaterials, but becomes part of the technology production process.<\/p>\n
Strengthening upstream industries should go hand in hand with\ndeveloping national computing capacity, research and innovation.<\/p>\n
The government has set Indonesia Digital 2045 as the direction for\nbuilding an independent, competitive and inclusive technology\necosystem.<\/p>\n
To realise this vision, Indonesia needs to strengthen domestic\ntechnological capabilities through collaboration between the government,\nindustry, universities and research institutions. The effort is expected\nto increase technological mastery and strengthen Indonesia\u2019s role in the\nglobal supply chain.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/a-boom-in-data-centres-does-not-guarantee-indonesia-ai-sovereignty-komdigis-plan-1792723884", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }