Microsoft officially inaugurated its first data center in Indonesia on Tuesday (May 27, 2025). This data center, named Indonesia Central Cloud Region, is promised to equip one million talents with artificial intelligence (AI) skills throughout 2025.

The President Director of Microsoft Indonesia, Dharma Simorangkir, stated that Indonesia has great potential to continue growing alongside the rapid adoption of AI technology.

"Indonesia has remarkable talents, rich diversity, and a strong spirit of innovation. Now, entering the AI era, we have an extraordinary opportunity to maximize this potential to drive new economic growth and empower the community based on a solid foundation of responsibility," Dharma said in Jakarta on Tuesday (May 27, 2025).

The establishment of Microsoft’s first data center in Indonesia is part of a USD 1.7 billion (approximately IDR 27.6 trillion) investment over four years aimed at developing new cloud and AI infrastructure in the country.

This commitment was directly conveyed by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella during his visit to Indonesia last year.

At the same event, Minister of Communication and Digital, Meutya Hafid, mentioned that the investment made by the company founded by Bill Gates has a positive impact on the national economy.

"And of course, we hope this investment will impact the economy by USD 2.5 billion or around IDR 41 trillion over the next four years," Meutya said.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi) and Microsoft are collaborating to initiate elevAIte Indonesia, an AI training program targeting one million local talents to master AI skills.

"We expect this to meet the target of one million digital training sessions conducted by Microsoft in cooperation with the Indonesian Government. This is something we appreciate and are thankful for," she expressed.

To achieve the goal of equipping one million Indonesians with AI skills by 2025, the implementation of elevAIte Indonesia will focus on five main pillars.

First, preparing government institutions to promote national AI capabilities. Second, integrating AI into key national industries. Third, embedding AI skills into education. Fourth, enhancing AI skills within communities. And fifth, democratizing AI access for every individual.