Read in Bahasa Indonesia here.

Indonesia’s digital transformation has entered a new chapter, marked by the rapid and widespread adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). To keep pace with this momentum, infrastructure readiness and talent development must go hand in hand—ensuring that the country’s digital ecosystem can grow inclusively and sustainably.

In an interview on CNBC Indonesia TV’s Tech A Look program, Dharma Simorangkir, President Director of Microsoft Indonesia, shared insights on Microsoft’s role as a long-term partner supporting an inclusive, sustainable, and responsible digital transformation.

Resilient Infrastructure to Support the Digital Ecosystem

In April 2025, Microsoft officially launched the Indonesia Central cloud region as part of a USD 1.7 billion investment—the largest investment we have made during our 30 years of operation in Indonesia to support innovation and #BerdayakanIndonesia.

Integrated with over 70 Azure regions and more than 300 datacenters worldwide, Indonesia Central delivers trusted cloud infrastructure with low-latency connectivity, local data security, and scalability that underpins Indonesia’s AI ambitions.

This infrastructure enables organizations in Indonesia to run AI and cloud services in real-time—not only to serve domestic needs, but to build solutions that scale globally.

A New Generation of Learners and Innovators

Aligned with Microsoft’s commitment to #BerdayakanIndonesia, Indonesia needs talent capable of leveraging technology inclusively and responsibly. Through the elevAIte Indonesia program in collaboration with Komdigi, we aim to train 1 million participants across the public sector, education, MSMEs, and communities in underdeveloped regions (3T areas).

This initiative has already surfaced inspiring stories of AI in action — from disaster mitigation in Wonogiri to climate-resilient agriculture. These stories demonstrate how AI, when paired with human ingenuity, can help solve real-world challenges.

Indonesia is also home to 3.1 million active developers on GitHub, making it the third-largest developer community in Asia Pacific, reflecting a spirit of exploration, collaboration, and the courage to not only use technology but also create it.

Advancing Responsible AI Adoption

In an era of accelerating digitalization, cybersecurity cannot be an afterthought. Microsoft embeds privacy and security by design across all our cloud and AI services.

Each day, Microsoft analyzes more than 78 trillion security signals, powered by 34,000+ security engineers and global initiatives such as the Secure Future Initiative (SFI).

We actively share best practices through reports like Cyber Signals and the Digital Defense Report and collaborate with the Indonesian government to share best practices on data and AI regulation, as reflected in the Microsoft Responsible AI Standard, encouraging organizations to broadly adopt responsible AI principles and development.

The Power of Collaboration in the AI Era

We believe building a resilient digital ecosystem requires a pentahelix approach – bringing together government, industry, academia, communities, and media, we can create an inclusive and robust digital ecosystem.

“In the past two years, we have upskilled and reskilled more than 700,000 people across digital skills, cybersecurity, and AI in Indonesia through the elevAIte program. Of course, this effort cannot be done alone—we rely on the support of Komdigi, institutions, and various communities. Now, with the availability of AI services and the need for data residency domestically, all businesses and organizations have the opportunity to #InnovAIteinIndonesia.”

Watch the full interview with CNBC Indonesia on Tech A Look here:

We thank CNBC Indonesia’s editorial team for the opportunity to share our vision for Indonesia’s digital future. We hope this conversation inspires broader dialogue on how inclusive and responsible technology adoption can positively impact society as a whole.

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