Indosat and Arsari Group Launch AI Digital Highway and $22 Million GPU Assembly Line to Power Hyperscale Boom

JAKARTA, Investortrust.id — Telecommunications major PT Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison Tbk (ISAT) and diversified conglomerate Arsari Group rolled out a comprehensive artificial intelligence infrastructure platform on Wednesday, pairing a 53,000-mile optical backbone with a $22 million domestic GPU manufacturing hub.

The joint venture, operated through PT Infra Fiber Teknologi (IFT) under the brand RAIA Grid, targets hyperscalers, telco carriers, and cloud providers seeking high-density computing infrastructure across Southeast Asia.

The dual rollout establishes the country's first domestic assembly line for advanced AI accelerators while providing open-access optical pathways to link isolated regional server clusters.

By entering hardware manufacturing and deploying Nvidia GB300-powered GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS) models, the venture challenges regional assembly monopolies in Penang, Malaysia, anchoring global tech supply chains within Southeast Asia's biggest digital economy.

Building the 53,000-Mile AI Superhighway

Speaking at the commercial launch in Jakarta on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026, Arsari Group Founder and Chairman Hashim Djojohadikusumo framed the initiative as a long-term strategic play to capture global data center migration.

"What we build today determines the future of Indonesia," Djojohadikusumo said on Wednesday. "RAIA Grid is part of a long-term commitment to strengthen national digital capabilities by developing the infrastructure, knowledge, and talent required to shape our own AI future."

The platform utilizes 86,000 kilometers (53,438 miles) of existing fiber assets to deliver high-capacity backhaul for 5G towers, fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) networks, and low-latency data center interconnects (DCI).

Indosat President Director and Chief Executive Officer Vikram Sinha highlighted that the network architecture deploys machine learning and Agentic AI directly into optical route optimization and predictive maintenance.

"RAIA Grid is building a 'toll road' connecting data centers, cloud platforms, commercial enterprises, and AI infrastructure to establish the foundation for a complete AI ecosystem," Sinha affirmed.

$22 Million Semiconductor Assembly and Subsea Cable Push

The venture is translating its connectivity base into hardware fabrication, allocating an initial $22 million (Rp 349.8 billion) capex to launch domestic GPU assembly operations by December 2026.

"It is time for us to enter manufacturing and assembly in Indonesia," Arsari Group Deputy CEO and COO Aryo Djojohadikusumo stated on Wednesday. "At the end of this year, in December 2026, IFT will commence domestic operations."

The facility, planned within industrial zones surrounding Jakarta such as Purwakarta, West Java, will assemble 140 to 150 enterprise GPU units monthly using Nvidia's high-performance GB300 architecture.

RAIA Grid Director of Finance Hendra Purnama revealed that the semiconductor project is the first leg of a broader capital program that includes a planned $190 million (Rp 3.02 trillion) subsea fiber-optic network.

"This maps our nation into the global AI supply chain, positioning us among the few countries capable of manufacturing and assembling advanced GPU units," Purnama explained on Wednesday.

Capturing Hyperscaler Capital with Power, Land, and Water

Djojohadikusumo noted that international private equity and technology funds are actively evaluating domestic facilities due to the abundance of core physical inputs: land, cooling water, and baseload energy.

Addressing power bottlenecks, Djojohadikusumo pointed out that high-carbon domestic natural gas fields can be unlocked through carbon capture utilization, turning sequestered gas into microalgae feedstock for biofuels to generate low-emission baseload power for server farms.

The infrastructure buildout aligns directly with the central government's macroeconomic agenda targeting national GDP expansion above 8%, positioning compute infrastructure as a core industrial engine.