State telecommunications company PT Telkom Indonesia has launched its AI Center of Excellence (AI CoE) as a hub for artificial intelligence development and cross-sector collaboration following Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison’s introduction of a similar national AI CoE in July.

“There is no standalone AI solution today; everything requires collaboration. That’s why we established the AI Center of Excellence, to accelerate the nation’s digital transformation,” Telkom’s Director of IT Digital, Faizal Rochmad Djoemadi, said at the launch event on Thursday, August 28, 2025.

Telkom’s AI CoE is built on four pillars:

● Education and Campus Collaboration – partnering with universities and communities to nurture AI talent;

● Industry Collaboration – connecting practitioners and businesses across strategic cities such as Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Malang, Makassar, Bali, Aceh, Labuan Bajo, and Papua;

● Innovation and Exploration – creating real AI-driven solutions for multiple industry sector;.

● Showcase and Display – offering interactive spaces where customers can experience AI solutions developed by Telkom and its partners.

The CoE is equipped with advanced capabilities, including analytics, machine learning, large language models (LLMs), and natural language processing. Telkom aims to deliver AI solutions for corporations, government agencies, and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Telkom has partnered with companies and universities including NeutraDC, Feedloop, Infomedia, ParagonCorp, Mind ID, Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), DEL Institute of Technology, Telkom University, Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS), Brawijaya University, and the University of Logistics and International Business (ULBI).

Indosat’s earlier-launched AI CoE focuses on four pillars as well: sovereign infrastructure, AI data security, inclusive AI access by 2027, and talent development. Backed by Cisco and NVIDIA, Indosat is building a high-performance national AI infrastructure.

Through its subsidiary Lintasarta, Indosat also became the first in Southeast Asia to adopt NVIDIA’s GB200 NVL72 technology to support generative AI and high-performance computing.

Looking ahead, Telkom has opened the possibility of collaboration with Indosat. Faizal partners due to limited invitations.

“Indosat will likely become our partner in the next batch. Why is this important? Because they have infrastructure—GPU as a Service—that we can rent instead of making a huge upfront investment. This approach is more efficient,” he said.

According to Faizal, collaboration will strengthen Indonesia’s AI ecosystem. “Each partner brings unique infrastructure and solutions. The key is the consumer. Whoever is closest to the consumer will win,” he concluded.