The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi), Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, NVIDIA and Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) have launched the UGM Indosat NVIDIA AI Technology Center (NVAITC) in Yogyakarta — the country's first university-based AI technology center. Established under Indonesia's AI Center of Excellence initiative, the center brings government, industry and academia together to develop AI that addresses Indonesia's most urgent national priorities.
A Vision for AI Sovereignty
"The Indonesia AI Center of Excellence reflects our long-term vision to position Indonesia as a nation that not only adopts AI but also develops and contributes AI innovations to the world," said Meutya Hafid, Indonesia's Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs. "Through initiatives like this, we are laying the foundations of Indonesia's AI sovereignty and ensuring AI becomes a driver of economic growth, national competitiveness and solutions to Indonesia's most pressing challenges."
Powered by NVIDIA's full-stack AI platform and GPU Merdeka — Indosat's sovereign GPU-as-a-service platform — the center gives UGM's researchers and students access to enterprise-grade accelerated computing, AI software, open source models, pretrained models, development frameworks and technical mentorship. It also connects Indonesian researchers to a worldwide ecosystem of expertise.
Three Flagship Projects
eNose-TB: AI-Powered Tuberculosis Screening
Indonesia records over 1 million new tuberculosis cases every year. TB is curable, but it kills when it goes undetected. Detection in rural and underserved areas has depended on equipment and expertise unavailable at the community level. UGM's Faculty of Medicine team is developing an AI-powered electronic screening technology — eNose-TB — that screens for TB by analyzing breath samples. The goal is affordable, fast, accessible screening that reaches patients in remote clinics and villages.
SmartAgri: Precision Farming for Indonesia
Agriculture employs nearly 30% of Indonesia's workforce. SmartAgri uses multimodal AI — combining satellite imagery, sensor data and local agricultural knowledge — alongside edge computing to deliver precision farming for Indonesian terrain, crops and smallholders. These AI-powered recommendations help farmers know exactly when and how to irrigate.
Tech4Disaster: Geospatial AI for Disaster Response
Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, facing more natural disaster risk than almost anywhere on earth. Tech4Disaster is building a geospatial AI platform using NVIDIA accelerated computing to process satellite and sensor data at speed — giving communities and emergency responders earlier warning, better situational awareness and faster coordination tools when disaster strikes.
Building Local AI Talent
"Indonesia is home to an extraordinary community of researchers, developers and innovators with the potential to shape the future of AI," said Marc Hamilton, vice president of solutions architecture and engineering at NVIDIA. "From healthcare and agriculture to disaster preparedness, the opportunities for AI to drive real change are immense."
"At Indosat, we believe no Indonesian should be left behind in the AI era," said Vikram Sinha, president director and CEO of Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison. "Through UGM Indosat NVAITC, we are bringing the best of global AI technologies and expertise to Indonesia, while expanding access for researchers, students, startups, and innovators across the country."