Indonesia’s ambition to become a global AI powerhouse has received a significant boost. Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, Nokia, and NVIDIA have joined forces to launch an AI-RAN (Radio Access Network) research center in Surabaya. This marks a pivotal step towards integrating artificial intelligence into the nation’s telecommunications infrastructure and driving its “Golden Indonesia Vision 2045.” The collaboration signifies a strategic move to not only enhance network performance but also to cultivate homegrown AI talent.
This initiative, stemming from a partnership unveiled at Mobile World Congress 2025 in Barcelona, represents the first Nokia-NVIDIA AI-RAN collaboration site in Asia, underscoring Indonesia’s growing importance in the global AI landscape.
The research center aims to develop AI-powered Radio Access Networks (RAN), effectively merging Nokia’s RAN technologies with NVIDIA’s accelerated computing platforms. This powerful combination will be seamlessly integrated into Indosat’s commercial network, creating a dynamic ecosystem for AI innovation.
The new AI-RAN infrastructure enables high-performance software-defined RAN and AI applications on the same infrastructure, and seamlessly connects to Indosat’s existing NVIDIA-powered sovereign AI Factory. The goal is to bring AI closer to users, enhancing their experiences and unlocking new economic opportunities from RAN investments.
The AI Grid: Connecting Indonesia
The ultimate vision is to establish an “AI Grid” that democratizes access to AI for millions of Indonesians. This grid will connect Indosat’s central AI Factory with new AI-RAN hubs strategically placed across the country. These hubs will be capable of hosting AI applications ranging from traditional datacenters to the distributed 5G network edge.
Beyond the technological advancements, the AI-RAN Research Center represents a strategic investment in Indonesia’s future workforce. The center will nurture a new generation of AI and telecom specialists through hands-on learning, mentorship, and real-world experimentation.
By combining the expertise of Indosat, Nokia, and NVIDIA with Indonesia’s rapidly growing digital talent pool, the initiative seeks to accelerate knowledge transfer, foster innovation, and enhance workforce readiness. This is a crucial step towards supporting Indonesia’s ambitious goal of becoming one of the world’s top five economies by 2045.
“The inauguration of the AI-RAN Research Center marks a concrete step in strengthening Indonesia’s digital sovereignty. The collaboration between the government, industry, and global partners such as Indosat, Nokia, and NVIDIA demonstrates that Indonesia is not merely a user but also a creator of AI technology. This initiative supports the acceleration of the Indonesia Emas 2045 vision secure, and globally competitive AI ecosystem.” – Nezar Patria, Vice Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia.
Indosat’s AIvolusi5G strategy is further reinforced by the AI-RAN Research Center, driving its mission to deliver intelligent connectivity that empowers both individuals and businesses throughout Indonesia. The partners intend to unlock AI-powered applications in vital sectors such as education, agriculture, and healthcare, fundamentally transforming how Indonesians learn, work, and live.
The platform supports AI and RAN workloads on NVIDIA Aerial RAN Computer 1 (ARC-1) and will lay the groundwork to move to commercial-grade AI-RAN deployment, leveraging NVIDIA ARC-Pro and Nokia CUDA-accelerated anyRAN software for more dynamic, adaptive, and intelligent mobile networks for Indosat’s customers.
“The AI Grid is the biggest opportunity for telecom providers to make AI as ubiquitous as connectivity and distribute intelligence at scale . The new NVIDIA and Nokia-powered AI-RAN infrastructure used in the AI-RAN Research Center unlocks new AI-powered innovations for Indonesian consumers and enterprises, while fundamentally re-architecting wireless networks to deliver greater performance and efficiency for the AI era.” – Ronnie Vasishta, Senior Vice President of Telecom at NVIDIA
As Indonesia propels itself into a digitally-driven future, initiatives like the AI-RAN Research Center become instrumental in ensuring that the nation not only keeps pace with global technological advancements but also actively shapes them. The convergence of connectivity and compute power, delivered at the edge, promises to unlock unprecedented opportunities and solidify Indonesia’s position as a key player in the AI revolution.
