PM Shehbaz inaugurates Sky47 AI data center, calls it a step towards a ‘forward-looking Pakistan’

Inaugurating the Sky47 AI cloud and data center in Rawalpindi on Friday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described it as a major step forward in Pakistan’s digital infrastructure, saying the project offered “impregnable security” and would help create “a new dynamic and forward-looking Pakistan”.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, the prime minister described the facility as “remarkable and truly inspiring” and said it had been built in record time by “the best minds from across Pakistan” in both the military and civilian sectors.

“The state-of-the-art data center is amazing and commendable. I am extremely happy to witness this great project,” he said.

The premier praised the leadership of the field marshal and said the facility was built under his supervision in a record period.

“If we follow this model…I am absolutely convinced more than ever that we will not only be able to make up for the losses of the past but InshaAllah we will create a new very dynamic, forward-looking Pakistan which is the need of the hour,” the Prime Minister said.

He recalled the success in Marka-e-Haq against India last year and called it the finest moment in the country’s history.

“This explains in volumes that if there is a will, there is a way… you face challenges, difficulties, but if you have the will to negotiate and burning hope and energy to convert it into a great opportunity, then Marka-e-Haq comes up on the horizon,” he added.

Calling the project Pakistan’s future, the prime minister said it offered “impregnable security” and demonstrated that “anything is possible provided we get our act together”.

IT and Telecommunications Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja also called the data center “a step in the right direction” and said it gave Pakistan the foundation for an infrastructure “capable of producing the most important economic entity today: token intelligence”.

“This is where Pakistan’s opportunity is extraordinary,” she said. “We are a young nation, we are a great nation, and we are a nation of astonishing human capacity.”

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According to Sky47 Limited, the data center is designed to support artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and high-performance computing, while helping to protect sensitive national and commercial data.

The company, a majority-owned subsidiary of Mari Energies Limited, announced the launch through a disclosure sent to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX).

It said Karakoram-01 represented “a step towards establishing secure, locally hosted digital infrastructure capable of supporting advanced computing requirements”.

Sky47 Limited said the data center was designed to provide superior cloud infrastructure, artificial intelligence computing, cyber security solutions, enterprise hosting and managed technology services.

It said the facility was aimed at supporting critical workloads across government, banking, telecommunications, healthcare and technology sectors in Pakistan.

The launch of Karakoram-01 comes as demand for artificial intelligence, cloud computing and data localization continues to grow, with companies and public institutions increasingly seeking domestic infrastructure to manage sensitive digital operations.