ISLAMABAD, July 24: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir on Friday inaugurated Pakistan’s largest data centre and AI cloud, Sky 47 Karakoram One.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony, the prime minister described the project as a major step towards a dynamic, progressive and bright future for the country. He said Sky 47 was a guarantee for Pakistan’s future and would provide invincible security to the country.
Federal ministers and other dignitaries also attended the ceremony. The prime minister and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir were earlier briefed about the data centre.
Prime Minister Shehbaz said it was an honour for him to attend the opening of Sky 47 Data Centre Karakoram One. He termed the state-of-the-art facility highly impressive and commendable, saying he was pleased to see such a major project completed in a very short time through extraordinary commitment, firm belief and high professional skill.
He said if the same model was followed, Pakistan could not only make up for past losses but also build a highly vibrant and developed future, which was the need of the hour. The task, he said, was difficult but not impossible, just as the country had achieved a great success in Maarka-e-Haq, which he called one of the greatest moments in Pakistan’s history.
The prime minister said that when determination is strong, everything becomes possible. Challenges and difficulties arise, he added, but when they are met with hope, courage and energy, historic achievements such as Maarka-e-Haq are made possible.
He said projects like Sky 47 were vital for Pakistan’s future. He paid tribute to the visionary leadership of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, the partner ZTE, Federal Minister for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja and the secretary information technology for their full support.
Shehbaz Sharif also thanked all stakeholders for giving the nation a project like Sky 47. He said sustained hard work turned such major initiatives into reality, adding that similar projects would also be completed in Karachi and Lahore. He said all government institutions should be connected with this facility.
The prime minister said the project was an excellent gift for the people of Pakistan and would ensure invincible security. He added that the project gave hope and confidence that no target was beyond reach if the nation worked together with unity.
Speaking on the occasion, Federal Minister for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja said the inauguration of Sky 47 Data Centre marked the beginning of a new era of artificial intelligence in Pakistan.
She said the doors of a new economic era were opening and the country would be able to make full use of its resources and human capital. She said insight gained from data was the real economic power of the future, and the global race in artificial intelligence would depend on safe, low-cost and effective use.
The minister said future competition in the field of artificial intelligence would revolve around the effective use of data. She added that Sky 47 would offer modern storage, GPUs and high-performance computing systems.
Sky 47 Chief Executive Officer Hassan Abbas said there were 12,000 data centres in the world, while Pakistan had only 22, which showed the country’s large digital capacity. He said Pakistan’s e-commerce business was growing at an annual rate of 25 to 30 per cent, and the data centre was laying a strong foundation for the country’s digital sector.
Sky 47 Data Centre is being seen as an important step towards self-reliance in technology. The facility has the capacity to meet the requirements of artificial intelligence, machine learning and high-performance computing. It will provide a strong base for cloud computing, data hosting and digital services, besides serving as an important means of protecting sensitive national and commercial information.
