Lintasarta Fuels Indonesia's AI Transformation through Strategic Collaborations and Innovation

Public-private partnerships are important as no single entity can carry out AI transformation alone. How does collaboration with local and regional partners, including countries like Singapore, help create synergy in driving AI transformation?

Collaboration is at the core of our strategy. We recognize that driving AI innovation is not a task we can achieve alone. Beyond our partnerships within Indonesia, we are also expanding our collaborations across the region, including with key partners in Singapore, to create a broad ecosystem of innovation.

I recently returned from Singapore, where we signed multiple Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with several strategic partners, including the National University of Singapore. One of our most recent partnerships is with 6Estates, a startup originally founded and developed in the U.S. Nexia in the U.S. is one of the key research labs involved, and we are collaborating closely with them. We pursue collaborations whenever they align with our goals and provide value.

Expanding our partnership ecosystem is a key part of our strategy for accelerated growth. They are vital for fast-tracking our journey and form a core pillar of our approach.

How is Lintasarta leveraging AI to grow its enterprise solutions portfolio? Can you share specific use cases?

Our company focuses on building infrastructure, IT services, and ecosystem play. We provide integrated ICT solutions based on the 4Cs services: Connectivity, Cybersecurity, Cloud, and Collaboration (AI-based Ecosystem). Lintasarta's position as an AI Factory aligns with the strategy of our holding company, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchinson, as an AI TechCo. We are committed to adding value to Indonesia's digital ecosystem through integrated, secure, and sustainable technology, in line with the Golden Indonesia 2045 Vision.

This platform includes what we internally refer to as LAMP, which stands for Lintasarta AI Marketplace. Through LAMP, we offer AI solutions featuring our own innovations, partner-developed solutions, and third-party offerings. Essentially, it’s a marketplace for collaboration. Though it is still in the early stages, we offer a range of solutions for areas such as talent management, and KYC (Know Your Customer), amongst other essential services required by enterprises, especially in the financial sector, a key sector in Indonesia’s economy.

As AI becomes a key enabler for digital transformation, what role do you see AI factories playing in Lintasarta’s strategy, particularly in building scalable, AI-powered solutions for businesses across different industries?

The AI factory is essentially an intelligence hub that includes the infrastructure needed for AI production. We’re focusing on developing our in-house talent as well as attracting new talent. As discussed, building AI requires collaboration, just like a factory relies on various components. You can’t produce everything on your own; you need an ecosystem to support it. Once the ecosystem is established, we can create use cases. The AI is trained and produced by an engine powered by the AI factory.

We launched our engine, called 'GPU Merdeka,' in August this year. We will continue to enhance it with the latest technologies. Through Indonesia AI Day, we hope to extend an invitation for further collaboration. At this event, for instance, we collaborated with many NVIDIA Inception program startups since they require robust infrastructure, and the best infrastructure for AI is the one closest to the users. This proximity improves both training and inference processes.

Intelligence, like any natural resource, must be preserved and managed locally to maximize its benefits for the country. Keeping the infrastructure ‘on soil’ ensures better performance and value. We are committed to supporting the growth of Indonesia's economy through this collaboration, increasing the penetration of AI-based digital services, developing an ecosystem that prioritizes national digital sovereignty, and driving AI transformation in Indonesia.

In Indonesia, most users access AI through smartphones, with over 100 million smartphones in use. This widespread adoption will accelerate AI proliferation. We’re a relatively young country, and the adoption of new technologies is strong. For example, we’re one of the largest user bases for TikTok.

With this momentum, AI can help drive rapid advancements in various sectors. As highlighted by our new facility, only by leveraging the right digital technologies can we leapfrog and accelerate growth.

What role does regulation and policy development play in ensuring responsible AI deployment and use?

The country already has an AI roadmap in place. Like any powerful tool, AI needs to be properly regulated to ensure it is used responsibly and ethically. Regulations are in place to provide guardrails for its use. Technology can help enforce these boundaries.

There are general principles that many countries have agreed upon for responsible AI use, but specific regulations may differ based on cultural, religious, and social norms. Additionally, vertical policies are tailored to different industries. While the details of these industry-specific regulations are still being developed, the broader framework is already in progress.

Regulating AI is challenging due to the rapid pace of its development. Traditional approaches may not fully address these complexities, but it's encouraging to see regulators increasingly leveraging AI itself to develop forward-thinking guidelines

How does Lintasarta complement Indosat’s broader AI-driven goals, especially in terms of infrastructure and enterprise solutions? How can the synergy between both entities accelerate Indonesia’s ambition to become a global AI powerhouse under the Golden Vision 2045?

One of the key considerations when building infrastructure is efficiency—you don’t want it to be scattered. It’s much better to centralize it in one place. This is why Indosat decided to establish its AI factory. For example, Sahabat-AI was designed and orchestrated by Indosat and trained using Lintasarta's GPU Merdeka. This is how we operate, while also focusing on collaboration and ecosystem development.

When we approach sectors like banking, we have strategic partners like Accenture, whose global expertise in banking and finance is invaluable. Their knowledge allows us to leapfrog, rather than taking a lengthy journey. By combining best practices with the needs of the local market, we can deliver powerful solutions that are faster, better, and more cost-effective.

The goal is to bring solutions to market quickly. With GPU capabilities, we can now train AI models much faster. While AI has existed for decades, the advancements in GPU technology have accelerated training speeds, allowing us to achieve results much more rapidly. This has opened up a wide range of possibilities, not just at the enterprise level, but also for individual users on their phones or laptops. However, for larger applications—such as healthcare, banking, and public services—we need robust, country-level infrastructure.

In smaller countries like Singapore, the size makes it easier to manage emergency services and public infrastructure. But in Indonesia, given the scale, it’s a far greater challenge. That’s why the national roadmap emphasizes talent development. While technology acts as an enabler and accelerator, it’s the talent that is the true driving force.

At Lintasarta, we’re working on two parallel tracks: developing AI and building a strong talent base to support it. To foster talent development, we’re launching a new initiative aimed at exponential growth. Our strategy focuses on building talent, creating use cases, and strengthening the ecosystem. This is essential for driving forward the AI agenda and achieving sustainable growth.

Continue Reading: Driving Indonesia’s AI Transformation as a Digital Powerhouse