- Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison to launch Garuda, a large language model for Indonesian language.
- Garuda aims to enhance AI interaction in local language, expanding reach to wider audience.
- Collaboration with Tech Mahindra for model development based on LLM Project Indus principles.
- Strategic partnership with NVIDIA to develop local AI infrastructure and offer cloud services.
- Significant financial performance growth noted by Indosat, including ARPU increase.
- Positive outlook on collaboration with Starlink for extending internet connectivity.
Main AI News:
Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, a prominent telco firm, is gearing up to unveil Garuda, a sizable language model tailored for the Indonesian market, come July, as disclosed by the company recently. This innovative model, Garuda, is poised to empower artificial intelligence technologies such as ChatGPT to effectively engage in interactions within the local linguistic landscape, thereby extending its reach to a wider audience.
Vikram Sinha, the CEO of Indosat, underscored the manifold advantages of incorporating AI-driven communication in Indonesian during a recent press briefing. The fruition of Garuda stems from a memorandum of understanding (MoU) inked between Indosat and Tech Mahindra, an Indian developer, at the Mobile World Congress back in February. Garuda will be built upon the foundational principles of the LLM Project Indus, meticulously crafted for facilitating seamless conversations in various Indic languages and dialects.
Moreover, Indosat has disclosed its strategic partnership with tech behemoth NVIDIA to harness their cutting-edge technology and foster the development of indigenous AI infrastructure in Indonesia. This collaborative endeavor will encompass the provision of AI cloud services to both public and private enterprises through its subsidiary, Lintasarta, with the initial deployment slated for July, heralding the arrival of the inaugural batch of 1,000 NVIDIA GPUs.
In addition to these technological advancements, Sinha shed light on the commendable financial performance of the company, citing a substantial uptick in revenue and net profit during the first quarter of the fiscal year, coupled with a notable expansion in its customer base. Notably, Indosat has recorded the most rapid growth in average revenue per user (ARPU) among cellular customers vis-à-vis other telcos operating in the region.
Addressing the recent emergence of Starlink, a satellite-based internet provider launched by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, in the Indonesian market, Sinha expressed an optimistic outlook. He refrained from viewing Starlink and other low-orbit satellite ventures as competitors but rather as prospective collaborators, especially in the realm of extending internet connectivity to remote islands across Indonesia and bolstering various sectors such as fisheries and defense.
Conclusion:
Indosat’s introduction of Garuda, an AI model tailored for the Indonesian market, signifies a strategic move towards enhancing communication capabilities in the local language. Collaborations with Tech Mahindra and NVIDIA underscore the company’s commitment to fostering indigenous AI infrastructure and offering advanced cloud services. The notable financial performance and optimistic outlook on collaboration with Starlink suggest a promising trajectory for Indosat in the competitive telecommunications landscape of Indonesia.
