The Silicon Oasis of Southeast Asia: A New Era for AI Compute

The Qatari-backed Ooredoo Group is revolutionizing the region’s digital landscape with its ambitious Zankore platform, a multi-billion-dollar investment in AI compute and neocloud infrastructure. Indonesia has emerged as a hub for the project, underscoring Southeast Asia’s growing importance in the global AI industry.

Indonesia’s data center market is booming, driven by rapidly growing demand for AI workloads and digital transformation. According to KPMG, Indonesia’s digital economy will exceed $130 billion by 2030. The Zankore platform, built on Nvidia’s latest technology, promises high-performance computing capabilities at a lower cost than traditional hardware solutions.

The partnership between Ooredoo, Nvidia, Nokia, and Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (IOH) marks a shift towards collaborative development of AI infrastructure. By pooling their expertise and resources, these companies are creating a platform that can serve as a template for future projects.

Southeast Asia’s data center capacity demand is expected to quadruple by 2035, driven largely by AI workloads and digital transformation. Indonesia’s forward-thinking regulation has made it an attractive location for investors, with Ooredoo Group CEO Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo citing its “ample supply of land” and “good cost and availability of power from different sources” as key advantages.

However, concerns about the environmental impact of this growth are valid. As demand for data centers increases, so too does the strain on local power capabilities. The region’s countries – Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand among them – are already experiencing constraints in their power supply, with Fakhroo warning that “we’re cherry-picking our tenants” to ensure balance.

Despite these challenges, Ooredoo’s Zankore platform is a vital step towards harnessing the potential of AI compute and neocloud infrastructure in Southeast Asia. The region’s governments are taking notice of this growth potential, and it will be fascinating to see how this initiative pans out and whether other regions follow suit.

Southeast Asia’s data center market is booming, driven by a combination of factors including AI workloads, digital transformation, and cloud adoption. Total regional power demand is expected to quadruple from 2.6 GW in 2025 to 10.7 GW by 2035, according to Wood Mackenzie. This rapid growth has significant implications for the region’s power supply, with countries already experiencing constraints.

The partnership between Ooredoo, Nvidia, Nokia, and IOH marks a significant shift towards collaborative development of AI infrastructure. By pooling their expertise and resources, these companies are creating a platform that can serve as a template for future projects. This approach has the potential to accelerate innovation in the region and drive growth in the AI industry.

As demand for data centers increases, so too does the strain on local power capabilities. Southeast Asia’s countries – Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand among them – are already experiencing constraints in their power supply. Ooredoo Group CEO Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo has warned that “we’re cherry-picking our tenants” to ensure balance.

The Zankore platform is a vital step towards harnessing the potential of AI compute and neocloud infrastructure in Southeast Asia. As the industry continues to evolve, it will be fascinating to see how this initiative pans out and whether other regions follow suit.