Indonesia and NVIDIA partner on national AI strategy

The Indonesian technology sector is making significant strides toward AI independence through a new sovereign AI initiative that aims to serve its population of over 277 million Indonesian speakers.

The core initiative: Sahabat-AI represents a groundbreaking collaboration between NVIDIA, its partners, and Indonesian tech companies to develop indigenous AI capabilities.

• The project centers on open-source Indonesian large language models built using NVIDIA’s NeMo framework and NIM microservices
• These models are specifically designed to understand Indonesian cultural context and support applications in Bahasa Indonesian and regional languages
• The initiative was formally introduced during Indonesia AI Day, highlighting the country’s commitment to technological self-reliance

Infrastructure developments: Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison has established a crucial foundation for Indonesia’s AI aspirations through new cloud computing capabilities.

• The company launched “GPU Merdeka by Lintasarta,” an NVIDIA-powered sovereign AI cloud platform
• This infrastructure serves as an “AI factory,” utilizing renewable energy and sustainable technologies
• A strategic partnership with Accenture focuses on developing industry-specific AI applications, with initial emphasis on financial services

Key partnerships and applications: Multiple technology leaders are integrating Sahabat-AI into their services, demonstrating the initiative’s practical applications.

• Tech Mahindra contributed to developing the core language models, which now power various government service chatbots
• Hippocratic AI is leveraging the technology to create healthcare-focused digital agents
• GoTo is incorporating Sahabat-AI models to enhance its AI voice assistant Dira

Technology localization: The emphasis on developing AI models that understand Indonesian languages and cultural nuances marks a significant step toward technological sovereignty.

• The initiative focuses on creating AI solutions that resonate with local users and contexts
• This approach enables more accurate and culturally appropriate AI interactions
• The project demonstrates how emerging economies can develop independent AI capabilities while maintaining international partnerships

Strategic implications: Indonesia’s push for AI sovereignty through Sahabat-AI could serve as a model for other nations seeking to develop independent AI capabilities while fostering international collaboration in the technology sector.