Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday inaugurated the country’s “largest” data center and Sky47 AI cloud in Islamabad, terming the facility “awe-inspiring”.
The project has a capacity of 8.5 megawatts. Sky47 is also developing a 5MW data center at Karachi’s Port Qasim, slated for completion in September.
Speaking on the occasion, PM Shehbaz said it was a privilege and an honor to be part of the ceremony.
“The facility we have just visited is awe-inspiring,” he added.
He further said the data center was built in record time, showcasing the best minds from across Pakistan in both the military and civilian sectors.
He commended the leadership of Chief of Defense Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir, under whose supervision the data center was built.
PM Shehbaz said he was hopeful that “if we follow this model, there is no reason — and I am absolutely convinced, more than ever before — that not only will we be able to make up for the losses of the past, but we will also create a new, dynamic and forward-looking Pakistan, which is the need of the hour.”
He added that the task might be difficult, but it was not impossible.
The premier also invoked the example of Marka-i-Haq, which he called the “finest moment in Pakistan’s history”. He said such events showed that “if there is a will, there is a way”.
Despite the challenges and difficulties, one must have the “will to negotiate” and “the ardent hope and the energy to turn that into a great opportunity”, he said.
Characterizing the data center as “the future of Pakistan”, PM Shehbaz also commended the leadership of the minister and secretary for IT.
Similar data centers will also be built in Karachi and Lahore, the PM said.
He added that all state organs should immediately align with the facility, which he called a “wonderful gift to the people of Pakistan”.
The data center “offers impregnable security and… gives us this hope and encouragement that everything is doable provided we put our act together”, the premier said.
Center to provide valuable infrastructure, IT minister says
Speaking at the inauguration, Minister for IT and Telecom Shaza Fatima Khawaja termed the data center “a step in the right direction”, saying that it provided Pakistan with the foundation of an infrastructure “capable of producing the most important economic unit today: token intelligence”.
She stated that every opportunity in the future would be reliant on access to high performance computing — including in healthcare, agriculture, economy, financial services, education, public administration and national security.
The minister noted that according to McKinsey, the global demand for data centers would triple by 2030, while according to Goldman Sachs, power requirements would also rise by 160 percent by the same year.
“This is where Pakistan’s opportunity is extraordinary,” she said.
“We’re a young nation, we’re a large nation, and we’re a nation of stunning human capability.”
She highlighted that the country’s engineers, developers, researchers and entrepreneurs did not lack intelligence or ambition, but rather infrastructure — which the new data center would provide.
From infrastructure, she traced a path through model development, orchestration and application to the marketplace, where AI capability could be provided “as a service” and thereby fulfilling national requirements.
Khawaja also noted PM Shehbaz’s efforts in the last two years under his “Digital Nation Pakistan” vision, including the 5G spectrum auction earlier this year, doubling of undersea fiber capability, right of way reforms for broadband access, AI skills initiatives and a network of AI startups supported by national incubation centers across Pakistan.
Pakistan’s first-ever locally hosted AI data center and sovereign AI cloud launched by Telenor in partnership with Data Vault in November 2025.
Last month, Quantum Global Data Center (QGDC), a venture of the Gul Ahmed Energy Group, announced plans to develop Pakistan’s largest Tier III data center, which is expected to become operational in 2027 with an initial investment of $230 million. QGDC signed a strategic partnership agreement with Huawei Pakistan to develop the facility and a science and technology park to support Pakistan’s digital transformation.
The push towards AI has been prominent on the governmental level recently as departments like the Federal Board of Revenue have Launched AI-based internal systems to enhance transparency, reduce human intervention and improve tax collection efficiency.
In February 2025, a data center was inaugurated at the NED University of Engineering and Technology. The facility, according to university officials, was the country’s first “tier-3 certified data center” aimed at providing the best IT services to the public and the private sector.