Federal Minister for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja said Google has formally registered in Pakistan and will open its first local office, while manufacturing of Google Chromebooks has already begun in Haripur under a public-private partnership.
The minister credited a collaboration between the Ministry of IT, the Ministry of Defence Production, Tech Valley Pakistan and NRTC for enabling high-tech hardware production locally. Under the “Made in Pakistan” initiative, an estimated 500,000 to 600,000 Chromebooks will be produced each year, creating jobs and supporting technology transfer. More than 600 young Pakistanis, including a large number of women engineers, are already employed at the Haripur plant and the assembly line will expand as exports begin.
The Ministry of IT has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Google to provide training for young Pakistanis, with a particular emphasis on women and skills related to artificial intelligence. Discussions are under way to establish AI laboratories across the country and to integrate AI education into secondary schools in coordination with provincial education departments, a move that will strengthen AI in Pakistan from the classroom up.
On the platform front, Meta’s regional team recently visited to deliver misinformation and media training to federal and private sector media teams. Meta has also launched its LLaMA model in Urdu, making AI tools and learning resources accessible in the national language and supporting broader participation in AI in Pakistan.
TikTok has introduced its STEM Feed in Pakistan, offering free educational content in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The feature is expected to be particularly valuable in underprivileged regions where TikTok is widely used, giving young people a practical pathway to learning through social media.
A new Saudi-Pakistan economic and technology cooperation pact has facilitated the launch of an AI hub by Go Telecom, a platform designed to connect Saudi firms with Pakistani technology companies and freelancers. The initiative provides digital access to the Saudi market without requiring foreign firms to open physical offices abroad and will include an offshore office in Pakistan to support exports and job creation.
Minister Khawaja credited sustained government efforts and the Special Investment Facilitation Council, established in 2022 under the leadership of the Prime Minister and Field Marshal General Asim Munir, for resolving bureaucratic hurdles and enabling these investments. “Global technology companies are now not only engaging with Pakistan but also investing and creating opportunities for our youth,” she said, underscoring a growing momentum in AI in Pakistan and wider tech industry engagement.
