Deputy Minister of Communication and Digital Explains the Importance of Infrastructure and Talent Towards Global AI Powerhouse

Deputy Minister of Communication and Digital (Wamenkomdigi) Nezar Patria (Antara)

JAKARTA - Deputy Minister of Communication and Digital (Wamenkomdigi) Nezar Patria emphasized the importance of infrastructure development and the fulfillment of digital talent in Indonesia as a foundation towards becoming a Global AI Powerhouse.

"How do we place Indonesia on the global list as the most important of AI powerhouse. The two main pillars of digital infrastructure and digital talent development," said Nezar, quoting Antara.

Nezar said that Indonesia is committed to becoming one of the main powers in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) on the global stage in the next five years.

However, the quality and speed of infrastructure are still one of the main problems, even though Indonesia has reached 97 percent in terms of connectivity, with 80 percent internet penetration in 2023.

Based on the data, only 27 percent of users access the internet via fixed broadband, and Indonesia's internet capacity is still far below the ASEAN average with speeds that have not reached 100 megabits per second.

This is an obstacle in the development of advanced technologies such as AI, which require fast and stable connectivity.

According to him, improving infrastructure is not only about expanding the network, but also creating meaningful connectivity, namely connectivity that provides sufficient access to encourage innovation and development of digital technology.

In addition to infrastructure, developing digital talent is also a major challenge. Currently, Indonesia needs around 15 million workers with skills in the AI ​​field by 2030.

However, with the current ecosystem, the shortage of digital talent is estimated to still be around 2 to 4 million people per year.

This shows that all stakeholders need to work hard to produce more digital talents who are ready to face the needs of the digital economy.

"This gap is expected to continue to grow, even though the growth of the digital economy is targeting Indonesia's contribution of 40 percent of the total growth of the digital economy in Southeast Asia by 2030," he said.

Nezar further said that multi-sector cooperation is very important, especially in strengthening digital infrastructure and developing digital talent.

The "AI Merdeka" movement initiated by Lintas Arta, Indosat, and NVIDIA is considered a strategic step to overcome this problem.

"By mapping the availability of talent and working to close the gaps, Indonesia can accelerate the formation of a stronger digital ecosystem and be more ready to become an AI powerhouse globally," said Nezar.