Doha, August 06 (QNA) - Ooredoo Group today announced its expansion into AI compute through a strategic investment in Zankore, a first-of-its-kind, dedicated AI compute and neocloud platform with full-stack AI capabilities in Indonesia. 
As founding shareholder and lead investor with a 49% stake, Ooredoo Group will commit approximately US$800 million to support the platform's launch and initial development, Ooredoo said in a press release. 
It added that this initial investment is expected to contribute approximately US$600 million in cumulative EBITDA to Ooredoo Group over the first five years of the investment according to current estimates, increasing the share of earnings generated from digital infrastructure assets while expanding the Group's exposure to resilient hard-currency infrastructure earnings. The platform also provides a foundation for future capacity expansion.
Group Chief Executive Officer of Ooredoo Group Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo said: "Over recent years, we have systematically built one of the MENA region's leading digital infrastructure portfolios. With Zankore, we are taking the next logical step by adding AI compute to that portfolio, extending our approach into the high-growth Southeast Asian market – one of today's most dynamic AI infrastructure opportunities.
We believe AI will define the next decade of value creation in emerging markets. Our role is to invest alongside the right partners, in scalable platforms that create long-term value for our shareholders while supporting the digital ambitions of the markets we serve."
Developed alongside Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, Nokia and NVIDIA, the platform is targeting 1 GW of NVIDIA DSX AI Factory capacity, positioning Ooredoo as an early mover in Southeast Asia's rapidly expanding AI infrastructure market. (QNA)