Sahabat-AI: Indonesia Teams with NVIDIA and Tech Leaders to Drive AI Independence

Indonesia’s technology and government leaders have taken a significant step toward AI-driven transformation with the launch of Sahabat-AI, a collection of large language models (LLMs) and AI services designed specifically for the nation’s needs. This initiative, developed through a partnership involving NVIDIA, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (IOH), GoTo, Lintasarta, and Accenture, brings a sovereign AI infrastructure to Indonesia, directly impacting industries and enabling enhanced services for over 277 million Bahasa Indonesia speakers.

At the recent Indonesia AI Day in Jakarta, the launch event highlighted the collaborative nature of the project, underlining the country’s “gotong royong” spirit, which signifies mutual support and cooperation. NVIDIA’s founder and CEO, Jensen Huang, joined key Indonesian leaders to celebrate the milestone, marking a new era of digital innovation for Indonesia.

Sahabat-AI: Building Indonesia’s AI Future

Sahabat-AI consists of open-source LLMs fine-tuned to understand the Indonesian language and cultural context. By harnessing NVIDIA NeMo and NVIDIA NIM microservices, Sahabat-AI will enable industries, government agencies, and universities to create generative AI applications tailored to Indonesia’s diverse local languages and dialects. The models are part of a long-term strategy aimed at achieving AI sovereignty and enhancing Indonesia’s digital ecosystem.

“Artificial intelligence will democratize technology. It is the great equalizer,” said Huang. This vision is echoed by IOH President and CEO Vikram Sinha, who stated that Sahabat-AI’s launch is more than just a technological advancement; it’s a vital step in democratizing AI as a tool for sustainable growth, innovation, and empowerment for every Indonesian citizen.

Transforming Indonesia’s Industries with NVIDIA and Partners

To expedite AI accessibility, IOH and its subsidiary Lintasarta have launched “GPU Merdeka by Lintasarta,” an NVIDIA-powered sovereign AI cloud hosted in a data center run by BDx Indonesia and powered by renewable energy. This AI cloud was established in record time, thanks to NVIDIA’s Cloud Partner program, which offers advanced architectures and support for building high-performance AI environments. Industries such as energy, finance, and healthcare are expected to benefit significantly from this infrastructure, which will enable rapid deployment of AI applications that meet local needs.

In partnership with Accenture, IOH is focusing on industry-specific applications within the financial services, energy, and healthcare sectors. These applications are built on the NVIDIA AI Enterprise platform, making them scalable and secure. For instance, early AI solutions are targeting financial services, assisting Indonesian banks in improving profitability and operational efficiency through advanced AI models. This modular approach supports each client’s unique AI journey while ensuring sustainability.

Empowering Citizens and Enhancing Government Services

A collaboration with Tech Mahindra has further boosted the development of citizen-centric AI applications. Sahabat-AI powers a chatbot integrated into Indonesia’s citizen services platform, where residents can ask questions in Bahasa Indonesia on topics such as national ID card updates, tax rates, and payment procedures. This chatbot is designed to provide accurate, real-time responses, making government services more accessible and efficient for all Indonesians.

The models were developed using the NVIDIA NeMo platform and include optimizations through NVIDIA NIM microservices, which offer a 2.5x improvement in processing throughput. This enhancement enables faster and more efficient interactions with end-users, delivering a smooth and responsive experience.

Healthcare Innovations with Hippocratic AI

Sahabat-AI has also found early applications within the healthcare sector. Partnering with Hippocratic AI, IOH aims to deliver AI-powered digital agents that can engage in empathetic, humanlike conversations with patients. These AI-driven agents will streamline workflows for medical professionals, allowing them to focus on more critical tasks and improving overall healthcare accessibility and service quality across Indonesia. IOH’s sovereign AI cloud ensures that sensitive patient data remains securely stored within the country, supporting low-latency performance and high data privacy standards.

Enhancing User Experience in Financial Services and On-Demand Applications

GoTo, an Indonesian tech company known for its services in transportation, e-commerce, and financial services, is leveraging Sahabat-AI to enhance user interactions within its ecosystem. Sahabat-AI supports Dira, GoTo’s AI-powered voice assistant, which helps users access essential services such as booking rides, ordering food, transferring money, and paying bills. With Sahabat-AI’s localized language capabilities, Dira offers a personalized and culturally relevant experience, strengthening the connection between the platform and its users.

Sustainable AI Infrastructure for Indonesia’s Golden Vision

As IOH’s AI factory, Lintasarta’s data center aims to be a model of sustainability, with a green design that utilizes renewable energy. This sustainable infrastructure supports the government’s Golden Indonesia 2045 vision, aligning with the goal of a digitally empowered Indonesia. Lintasarta plans to continue expanding its AI infrastructure using NVIDIA’s latest technology to meet the needs of businesses, regional governments, and startups.

NVIDIA’s commitment to sovereign AI is not limited to Indonesia; similar initiatives are being rolled out in countries across Asia, including India, Japan, and Taiwan, reflecting a growing trend of regional AI infrastructure tailored to local languages and needs.

Sahabat-AI marks a critical step forward in Indonesia’s digital sovereignty journey, creating a foundation for continued AI growth and innovation. With the backing of NVIDIA and key local partners, Indonesia is set to emerge as a leader in AI, bringing advanced technology closer to its people and fostering a new era of economic and social growth.