The government said the project would serve as the backbone of Pakistan’s digital economy by supporting cloud computing, artificial intelligence, secure data hosting and the protection of sensitive national information.

The inauguration ceremony in Islamabad was attended by the prime minister, the Field Marshal, federal ministers and senior government officials.

Addressing the event, PM Shehbaz described Karakoram One as an “extraordinary and impressive project”, saying its completion in a short period reflected Pakistan’s growing technological capabilities.

He said the country’s development would not be hindered by existing challenges and praised Field Marshal Asim Munir for his vision and support in advancing national development and technology-driven projects.

The prime minister also commended federal ministers Ahad Khan Cheema, Shaza Fatima Khawaja and other officials for their contributions to the project.

He directed all ministries to replace conventional paper-based file systems with fully digital workflows by adopting the new infrastructure.

Cheema said artificial intelligence and data-driven systems would improve transparency, accountability and timely implementation of government decisions.

Shaza Fatima Khawaja said Pakistan was moving beyond basic digitalisation and entering the era of artificial intelligence, where governance, social protection programmes and public services would increasingly rely on advanced technologies.

What is Karakoram One?

According to the government, Karakoram One is Pakistan’s first sovereign digital infrastructure platform developed under Sky47 to support the country’s transition towards a cloud-first, data-driven economy.

The project will eventually comprise interconnected data centres in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi, ensuring uninterrupted services during emergencies while safeguarding critical national data through geographic redundancy.

How will it work?

Karakoram One will allow government institutions, private companies, banks, telecom operators and global cloud service providers to securely host servers and sensitive data within Pakistan.

The platform will provide cloud computing, AI services, data hosting, high-performance computing, secure storage of national records and commercial information, and high-speed digital services.

The facility has a planned power capacity of more than 50 megawatts and can accommodate over 3,000 server racks, enabling large-scale AI workloads and advanced computing applications.

According to Sky47, the platform will connect with multiple internet service providers and international submarine cable networks to ensure fast, secure and uninterrupted digital connectivity.

Officials said Karakoram One would help keep sensitive government and commercial data within Pakistan, reduce dependence on foreign infrastructure, strengthen digital sovereignty and accelerate the country’s technological self-reliance.

In a post shared after the ceremony, Pakistan Television said the inauguration of Pakistan’s largest data centre and AI cloud marked a significant milestone in the country’s digital infrastructure and AI ambitions.