Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, Ooredoo Group, Nokia and Nvidia are collaborating to build a large-scale AI infrastructure platform in Indonesia, with a target of deploying 1GW of Nvidia DSX AI Factory capacity across Southeast Asia.

The platform, branded Zankore by Indosat, is intended to support growing demand for AI computing among enterprises, governments and AI developers, while positioning Indonesia as a regional hub for AI infrastructure.

The first phase is expected to deliver around 200MW of AI capacity in the first half of 2027, powered by Nvidia GB300 NVL72 systems. Zankore will use Nvidia’s DSX reference architecture, which combines accelerated computing, networking, power, cooling and operations into an integrated AI factory design.

The platform will also use Nvidia DSX MaxLPS, a technology designed to dynamically optimise power allocation across GPU infrastructure. Nvidia said the system can potentially enable up to 40% more compute within the same power envelope by recovering otherwise unused power capacity.

The partners said the initiative is aimed at supporting the transition of AI from experimentation towards large-scale, mission-critical deployments, particularly as demand for agentic and enterprise AI grows across Southeast Asia.

Indosat will provide its existing digital infrastructure and market presence in Indonesia, while Ooredoo Group will act as lead investor and platform sponsor. Nvidia will provide accelerated computing, AI software and GPU infrastructure, while Nokia will supply AI-native networking technologies.

Vikram Sinha, president director and CEO of Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, said the platform would combine computing, AI models and network capabilities to provide an integrated environment for enterprises deploying AI at scale.

Zankore will incorporate Indosat’s Sahabat-AI models alongside technologies including AI Grid and AI-RAN, according to the companies.

Nokia CEO Justin Hotard said AI infrastructure increasingly requires the integration of computing, connectivity and control across datacentres, AI factories and edge infrastructure.

The companies are targeting a broader regional role for Zankore, with the platform intended to serve hyperscalers, enterprises, governments and AI innovators across Asia-Pacific.

Indonesia’s Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs Meutya Hafid said the country could serve both domestic and regional demand for AI infrastructure, citing its resources and talent base alongside international technology partnerships.

The initiative comes as Southeast Asian countries seek to develop greater domestic and regional control over AI infrastructure and computing capacity. The partners said Zankore is intended to support the development of sovereign AI capabilities while providing the scale required for increasingly demanding AI workloads.

Ooredoo Group CEO Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo said the project would combine the partners’ respective technology, infrastructure and regional capabilities to support Southeast Asia’s AI ambitions.

Zankore has established its board, with representatives from Ooredoo Group and Indosat alongside an independent director. Ulf Ewaldsson has been appointed CEO.

The company said the 1GW target will provide the foundation for a larger AI infrastructure platform as demand develops across the region, although the announcement did not provide a total investment figure or detailed deployment timetable beyond the initial 200MW target for the first half of 2027.

Citi acted as exclusive financial adviser to Indosat on the transaction, while FTI Capital Advisors advised Ooredoo Group.

Two inetwork infrastructure deployments and a bit of M&A: … [visit site to read more]

MTN Group said it has secured approval from IHS Towers shareholders to acquire the remaining shares it does not own, moving the pan-African operator closer to full control of the tower company.

The companies announced the deal in February, under which MTN will acquire the remaining 75.3% stake in IHS for $8.50 per share. The transaction values IHS at around $6.2 billion, with MTN’s cash consideration for the shares it does not already own amounting to about $2.2 billion.

IHS has a portfolio of nearly 29,000 towers across Africa, making it one of the continent’s largest tower companies. It serves multiple mobile operators, with MTN present across five of its key markets.

The tower company has also completed the sale of its 51% stake in Brazilian fibre venture I-Systems to TIM S.A., Telecom Italia’s Brazilian unit. The disposal forms part of a wider move to exit IHS’s Latin American operations ahead of MTN’s acquisition of its remaining African business.

MTN required approval from at least two-thirds of IHS shareholders voting on the transaction. The vote fulfils a key condition for the deal, although completion remains subject to outstanding regulatory approvals.

“The approval by IHS shareholders is an important step toward completion of the Transaction,” said Ralph Mupita, MTN Group president and CEO. “Within our Ambition 2030, the three-platform strategy, towers are a critical value-creation driver that will strengthen MTN’s strategic and financial position for the future, in a world where digital infrastructure and AI are becoming increasingly essential to Africa’s growth and development.”

MTN has sold towers to IHS since 2014 and became the tower company’s anchor tenant through a series of sale-and-leaseback and share-exchange deals over the past decade. The acquisition marks a reversal of that strategy, bringing a significant portion of MTN’s passive network infrastructure back under its control.

The deal reverses MTN’s previous strategy of selling towers to free up cash. Buying IHS gives it greater control over critical network infrastructure and allows it to keep more of the value currently paid out in lease costs. MTN will also receive rental income from other operators using IHS sites, but takes on more debt and exposure to operating costs.

Some quantum, some PON, some M&A, and some light: … [visit site to read more]

The Emerging Africa & Asia Infrastructure Fund (EAAIF) is loaning a combined US$82.8 million to two Africa-focused telecom infrastructure firms.

The fund will loan US$32.8 million to Eastcastle Infrastructure DRC to finance 728 new telecom towers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and US$50 million to Liquid Intelligent Technologies to refinance and future-proof its 110,000-kilometre pan-African fibre-optic network.

These parallel investments highlight EAAIF’s strategic focus on de-risking and scaling the physical and digital networks that underpin the continent’s rapidly growing digital economy.

In the DRC, where mobile internet penetration is 17%, and tower density is among the lowest globally (one tower per 15,000–20,000 people compared to one per 600 in the US), EAAIF’s support for Eastcastle is critical to addressing infrastructure availability, which is the primary bottleneck for mobile network operators.

Around 70% of the new towers will be located in rural and underpenetrated regions, which will help to boost connectivity in the DRC. The transaction will also finance solar panel installations and lithium battery upgrades to drive energy efficiency, circumvent grid failures, and reduce Eastcastle’s reliance on diesel.

EAAIF’s US$50 million commitment to Liquid Intelligent Technologies forms part of a US$450 million restructuring and expansion package which will support the optimisation of Liquid’s capital structure and the maintenance of its 110,000 km cross-border fibre network across 25 countries, including Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe. 

Liquid’s network enables digital data storage and processing for major operators, enterprises, and hyperscalers across Africa. EAAIF’s investment in Liquid’s high-speed broadband and cloud infrastructure underlines its commitment to sovereign digital assets that drive economic growth. Reliable internet access also enables local enterprises to scale more effectively, fostering long-term, productive employment.

Martijn Proos, Co-Head of Emerging Market Alternative Credit at Ninety One, the fund manager of EAAIF, said: “These commitments to Eastcastle and Liquid demonstrate our belief in Africa’s digital expansion through localised access points and pan-African corridors, which must work simultaneously to power the continent’s future.”

Three major players in the Asian market have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to execute collaborative AI data centre (AIDC) deployment initiatives across Southeast Asia.

The partnership, between technology infrastructure company SB Telecom Singapore, a subsidiary of Japan’s SoftBank, SC Zeus Data Centres, which is building advanced data centres across Asia, and Robust HPC Group, an IT managed service provider, focuses on two primary pillars: GPU infrastructure supply, build and operation, alongside dedicated AIDC construction and development within the region.

The partners say this collaboration combines the unique strengths of all three organisations to address the surging regional demand for high-density artificial intelligence computing workloads.

Under the agreement, SC Zeus will serve as the preferred partner to source land, design, build and operate the core data centre infrastructure. Robust HPC Group will spearhead the procurement, setup and management of high-performance GPU clusters, utilising advanced hardware.

SB Telecom Singapore meanwhile, will drive the data hall fit-out, ICT infrastructure integration, localised deployment support, and critical connectivity solutions. Together, the parties say they will develop innovative ‘AI factory’ solutions and explore diverse commercial models, including GPU-as-a-service platforms and AI token factory, a production system that transforms raw GPU compute and electricity into monetisable, governed units of intelligence known as tokens.

The initial deployment initiatives will focus heavily on Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam with subsequent plans to expand to the wider Southeast Asia region and neighbouring markets.

Hisao Inoue, Managing Director of SB Telecom Singapore says: “By unifying our robust ICT connectivity with SC Zeus’s specialised infrastructure capabilities and Robust HPC’s advanced supercomputing expertise, we are uniquely positioned to deliver the massively scalable, real-time computing environments essential for the future of AI.”

The envisioned facilities will feature advanced capabilities like liquid cooling infrastructure, 800 VDC architecture and low-latency networking, ensuring the region is fully equipped for next-generation AI workloads.

Some middle mile, some last mile, and some subsea: … [visit site to read more]

Lesotho has secured what is being described as the largest foreign investment in its history with the signing of the US$6.2 billion Kobong Project, whose aims include the development of hydropower resources and an artificial intelligence (AI) data centre.

Backed by New York-headquartered renewable energy firm Convalt Energy, which says it is creating an integrated value chain comprising solar PV manufacturing, power generation and development of data centres, the dual-infrastructure development is expected to shift the country from a net electricity importer to a regional power exporter.

Once operational, the project will have a generation capacity of 1.2GW, with an additional 4.6GW of solar capacity.

This is expected to increase Lesotho’s domestic power capacity, reducing reliance on imports, while supplying energy to an adjacent data centre designed for AI workloads.

Convalt Energy says it will fund the initial feasibility studies, with construction targeted to begin in 2029.

The development also aims to position Lesotho as a regional hub for AI-driven digital infrastructure, leveraging its climate, natural resources and governance framework. Indeed, Convalt says that Lesotho’s climate, abundant land and water, energy potential, and stable democratic government make it a premier data centre location.

The importance of the deal was underlined by an event at the US embassy to celebrate the signing, attended by a  number of government officials, heads of diplomatic missions and business leaders.