Web Desk: Pakistan on Friday inaugurated its largest carrier-neutral, artificial intelligence-ready data centre, marking a major step in the country’s efforts to expand digital infrastructure and support the growing use of AI and cloud-based technologies.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir jointly inaugurated the “Sky 47 Karakoram-01” data centre, which officials described as a cornerstone of Pakistan’s digital transformation strategy.
Addressing the inauguration ceremony, Sharif said the facility would strengthen Pakistan’s technological capabilities by supporting artificial intelligence applications, cloud computing, secure data hosting and next-generation digital services.
He said the project’s completion demonstrated Pakistan’s ability to deliver technology infrastructure that meets international standards.
The prime minister also praised the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, Chinese technology company ZTE and other project partners for their role in developing the facility.
Sharif said countries investing in technology would shape the future and added that Pakistan was accelerating its transition towards a digitally enabled economy.
Sharif urged federal and provincial government institutions to migrate their digital operations to the new facility to improve e-governance, cybersecurity and public service delivery while reducing reliance on overseas data hosting.
He also announced plans to establish similar high-capacity data centres in Karachi and Lahore, creating a nationwide network to support government agencies and businesses.
According to officials, Sky 47 Karakoram-01 has an operational capacity of 8.5 megawatts, making it the country’s largest data centre of its kind.
The facility has been designed to support artificial intelligence workloads, cloud platforms and large-scale enterprise computing through scalable digital infrastructure.
Officials said the project incorporates a sovereign cloud architecture and multi-layered enterprise security systems, enabling government agencies, financial institutions and private companies to store sensitive data within Pakistan.
They added that the infrastructure is expected to strengthen the country’s digital sovereignty, improve cybersecurity resilience and enhance national data protection capabilities.
Technology experts said the new facility would not immediately position Pakistan as a global leader in artificial intelligence but could provide the foundation for future growth in the sector.
They said the project could encourage innovation, attract foreign investment, create skilled employment opportunities and accelerate the expansion of Pakistan’s digital economy, provided challenges such as reliable energy supply and workforce development are addressed.
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