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Ooredoo Group is positioning itself to capture a multi-billion-dollar AI infrastructure opportunity by developing Indonesia\u2019s first dedicated AI compute and neocloud platform, enabling enterprises to develop, train, deploy, and operate AI models at scale.<\/p>\n
Through an alliance with Nvidia, Nokia and Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (IOH), the platform, known as Zankore, aims to contract 1 gigawatt (GW) of AI capacity over the next three years, powered by Nvidia\u2019s supercomputing platform and latest technology.<\/p>\n
Zankore\u00a0has already secured blue-chip customers for around 200 MW of AI capacity planned for the first half of 2027. This is\u00a0expected to\u00a0generate around $13 billion in revenue and $9 billion in\u00a0cumulative\u00a0Ebitda\u00a0over\u00a0a five-\u00a0to six-year\u00a0period.\u00a0The proportionate\u00a0Ebitda\u00a0contribution to the Ooredoo Group is expected to be around $600 million.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
As a founding shareholder and lead investor, with a 49% share in\u00a0Zankore, Ooredoo Group is initially committing $800 million over the next five years to support the platform\u2019s development. The group\u00a0is majority-owned by the Qatari\u00a0government but\u00a0listed and independently managed.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The\u00a0initial\u00a0200 MW\u00a0of capacity\u00a0is expected to be funded through a combination of equity and debt,\u00a0while\u00a0the\u00a0initial\u00a0AI capacity will be sourced from multiple data\u00a0center\u00a0providers with facilities across Indonesia.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been positioning ourselves for a good 36 months,\u00a0or even more now, to steadily migrate from a traditional telco to a leading digital infrastructure provider,\u201d\u00a0Ooredoo\u2019s\u00a0Group\u00a0CEO Aziz\u00a0Aluthman\u00a0Fakhroo\u00a0told\u00a0Fortune.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd\u00a0Zankore\u00a0is the latest building block in that evolution.\u00a0We started this journey\u00a0two\u00a0years\u00a0ago through\u00a0IOH,\u00a0our affiliate\u00a0in Indonesia,\u00a0when we struck a deal\u00a0with Nvidia\u00a0to become its first cloud\u00a0partner in\u00a0Indonesia.\u00a0That allowed us to test at a lower scale the proposition\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0bringing at a much larger scale today.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zankore\u2019s\u00a0neocloud\u00a0platform\u00a0will\u00a0comprise\u00a0GPU-as-a-Service\u2014a cloud computing model that lets an end user\u00a0rent high-performance graphics processing units\u00a0(GPUs)\u00a0over the internet.\u00a0Widely used to train AI models,\u00a0it enables\u00a0users to pay only for the\u00a0period\u00a0they use\u00a0the compute for, rather than\u00a0buying costly physical hardware.\u00a0<\/p>\n
An orchestration layer\u00a0will decide how\u00a0GPU capacity is shared across multiple users or clusters and leverage Nvidia technology\u00a0to\u00a0recover stranded power across the GPU fleet. This will\u00a0enable\u00a0up to 40% more compute\u00a0power, thereby\u00a0increasing\u00a0Zankore\u2019s\u00a0capacity to serve customers and generate revenue.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe started this journey\u00a0two\u00a0years\u00a0ago through\u00a0IOH,\u00a0our affiliate\u00a0in Indonesia,\u00a0when we struck a deal\u00a0with Nvidia\u00a0to become its first cloud\u00a0partner in\u00a0Indonesia\u201d<\/p>\n
Ooredoo\u2019s\u00a0Group\u00a0CEO, Aziz\u00a0Aluthman\u00a0Fakhroo<\/p>\n
\u201cNvidia is bringing their\u00a0compute and AI\u00a0expertise, as well as\u00a0general architecture,\u00a0while\u00a0Nokia is bringing their networking\u00a0expertise,\u201d\u00a0Fakhroo\u00a0said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
IOH,\u00a0Indonesia\u2019s\u00a0second-largest mobile telecoms company,\u00a0was\u00a0formed via a $6 billion merger between Indosat Ooredoo and Hutchison Asia Telecom Group in 2022.\u00a0Ooredoo\u00a0acquired\u00a0a 65% stake\u00a0in Indosat for $1.8 billion\u00a0in 2008.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
This latest investment aims to strengthen Ooredoo\u2019s exposure to Indonesia\u2019s rapidly growing data\u00a0center\u00a0market, as well as position it to capitalize on Southeast Asia\u2019s booming AI compute and cloud industry.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
KPMG forecasts that Indonesia\u2019s digital economy will\u00a0exceed $130 billion by 2030 and expects\u00a0demand for AI-ready data\u00a0centers\u00a0to\u00a0intensify in the coming years.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fakhroo\u00a0said there is a \u201csignificant opportunity\u201d in Indonesia that made it a \u201cgreat base\u201d from which\u00a0to\u00a0operate\u00a0in Asia.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s\u00a0a vast country with a sizeable population who are young and digitally savvy.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0also resource-rich and extremely well-positioned geographically, with very forward-looking regulation,\u201d he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is also fortunate to have an\u00a0ample supply of land,\u00a0as well as good cost and availability of power from\u00a0different sources, such as local natural gas to hydro,\u00a0which is obviously important when it comes to data\u00a0centers.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fakhroo\u00a0cited\u00a0a recent McKinsey study\u00a0noting\u00a0that\u00a0AI adoption\u00a0across Southeast Asia\u00a0is showing stronger momentum than the global average.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Southeast Asia\u2019s data\u00a0center\u00a0capacity demand is expected to grow\u202frapidly, driven by AI workloads, digital transformation, and cloud adoption, with\u00a0total regional power demand projected to quadruple\u00a0from 2.6 GW in 2025 to 10.7 GW by 2035,\u00a0according to\u00a0Wood Mackenzie.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMore closely, we see future demand coming from\u00a0Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand,\u00a0which\u00a0are starting to experience constraints in their power capabilities,\u201d\u00a0Fakhroo\u00a0added.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fakhroo\u00a0said that\u00a0demand for\u00a0Zankore\u2019s\u00a0initially planned 200 MW of compute capacity exceeds\u00a0that\u00a0figure.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat puts us in a situation where\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0cherry-picking our tenants in terms of reputational compliance, but also in terms of balance sheets.\u00a0We\u2019re\u00a0talking about multi-hundred-million-dollar contracts\u00a0from prime customers, so\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0confident that this is a very high-value proposition,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIndonesia\u2019s market is in a great momentum where demand is significantly outstripping supply. But\u00a0maybe five\u00a0years down the line, when that supply-demand equilibrium is slightly more balanced, the\u00a0lowest common denominator will be who can deliver these facilities and operate them most\u00a0efficiently.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
To date, Indonesia\u2019s capital, Jakarta, has\u00a0established\u00a0itself as the country\u2019s primary cloud and hyperscale data centre hub, home to Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud and Microsoft.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jakarta has also seen major\u00a0operators, including\u00a0DCI Indonesia, Digital Edge,\u00a0NeutraDC, STT GDC, as well as\u00a0hyperscalers\u00a0ByteDance, Microsoft, and Alibaba Cloud,\u00a0all adding aggressively to its pipeline in recent years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
According to global data\u00a0center\u00a0research company, DC Byte,\u00a0the market\u2019s future development is likely to follow a two-tier model\u00a0comprising\u00a0connectivity-rich facilities in or near the central business district and larger hyperscale campuses across Greater Jakarta\u2019s industrial estates.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fakhroo\u00a0said that, by the third quarter of this year, IOH\u2019s\u00a0Nvidia-powered AI cloud services\u00a0will own and\u00a0operate\u00a0around 28 MW of GPU\u00a0capacity.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the first half of 2026,\u00a0IOH\u2019s\u00a0existing\u00a0neocloud\u00a0business raked in $33 million in revenue, surpassing the $28 million it recorded for all of 2025. It has between $1.2 and $1.5 billion in contracted revenue for the coming years.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
IOH is now focused on\u00a0extending its AI\u00a0capabilities, supplementing its GPU compute power with a token factory\u00a0for training AI models and its own LLM.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ooredoo\u00a0has also stepped up its\u00a0ambitions to build out\u00a0its data\u00a0center\u00a0infrastructure across MENA\u00a0over the\u00a0past few years\u00a0amid increasingly stiff competition from its\u00a0Gulf neighbors.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
In\u00a0June\u00a02024, it\u00a0struck a deal with Nvidia\u00a0for\u00a0thousands of its GPUs to be deployed in 26 data\u00a0centers\u00a0across the region,\u00a0including\u00a0Qatar, Kuwait,\u00a0and Oman.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The announcement followed\u00a0Ooredoo\u2019s decision to\u00a0invest $1 billion in\u00a0Mena Digital Hub, its newly established data\u00a0center\u00a0company.\u00a0It\u00a0subsequently\u00a0raised QR2bn ($550 million) to expand its regional data\u00a0center\u00a0network.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
In\u00a0March last year,\u00a0Mena Digital Hub was spun out\u00a0and\u00a0rebranded\u00a0as\u00a0Syntys\u00a0following an\u00a0undisclosed\u00a0investment from\u00a0U.S.-headquartered data\u00a0center\u00a0company\u00a0Iron Mountain.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen\u00a0Syntys\u00a0was established, we had just 16 megawatts of capacity,\u201d\u00a0said\u00a0Fakhroo.\u00a0\u201cWe\u2019ve already doubled our installed base since then, and new builds are ongoing\u2014just a few months ago, we signed\u00a0for a\u00a04.5\u00a0MW\u00a0expansion. So,\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0going full speed ahead despite everything that\u2019s happening geopolitically.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe set a target back in 2024 to expand our installed data\u00a0center\u00a0capacity in the Middle East to more than 120 MW by 2030\u2014we\u2019ll be way ahead of that by then.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ooredoo\u2019s strategy\u00a0reflects a broader trend among telecom companies\u00a0globally, which are seeking to transform themselves into digital infrastructure providers\u00a0as they look to\u00a0capitalize on the AI\u00a0boom\u00a0and ease pressure on their\u00a0margins.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
By contrast,\u00a0Ooredoo\u2019s net debt-to-EBITDA\u00a0ratio currently stands at 0.6x, significantly below the company\u2019s board guidance ratio, which\u00a0stands at 1.5 to 2.5.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat gives us significant dry powder in terms of investment capabilities,\u201d\u00a0said\u00a0Fakhroo, who\u00a0wouldn\u2019t\u00a0be drawn on potential future\u00a0target\u00a0markets.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAt any given point\u00a0in\u00a0time, we\u2019re looking at anywhere between\u00a0five\u00a0and\u00a010 opportunities simultaneously,\u00a0and\u00a0we\u2019ve always looked\u00a0for organic growth opportunities over inorganic because we see much higher returns for investors from them,\u201d he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat said,\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0extremely\u00a0disciplined in how we approach\u00a0them.\u00a0The\u00a0first\u00a0question is:\u00a0\u2018Do we have a right to play? And\u00a0then, do we have a specific competitive angle?\u00a0And then\u00a0what\u00a0are\u00a0the synergies?\u2019\u00a0In the case of\u00a0Zankore, it\u00a0more than ticked all those boxes.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
#Ooredoo #teams #Nvidia #Nokia #launch #platform #Indonesia<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ooredoo Group is positioning itself to capture a multi-billion-dollar AI infrastructure opportunity by developing Indonesia\u2019s…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[245],"tags":[12298,2190,5922,2385,12090,335,18821,28,570,1136,4037],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12980"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12980"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12980\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}