Universitas Gadjah Mada Partners with PT Telkom Indonesia (Persero) Tbk to Develop an AI Center of Excellence
Following the launch of its Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence (AI CoE), PT Telkom Indonesia (Persero) Tbk is accelerating efforts to strengthen Indonesia’s national AI ecosystem by partnering with Universitas Gadjah Mada. This commitment was formalized through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the Gelanggang Inovasi dan Kreativitas (GIK) UGM on Saturday (November 15), as a strategic step to enhance digital talent and promote inclusive AI adoption for Indonesia’s digital advancement.
The agreement was signed by Muhammad Subhan Iswahyudi, Senior General Manager of Telkom Corporate University, and Danang Sri Hadmoko, Vice Rector for Research, Business Development, and Cooperation at Universitas Gadjah Mada. The signing ceremony was witnessed by Nezar Patria, Vice Minister of Communication and Digital of Indonesia, Faizal Rochmad Djoemadi, IT Digital Director of PT Telkom Indonesia (Persero) Tbk, and Ova Emilia, Rector of Universitas Gadjah Mada.
Nezar Patria expressed appreciation for the establishment of the AI CoE at Universitas Gadjah Mada, highlighting it as a crucial form of collaboration in a rapidly evolving technological era. He emphasized that broader, more intensive, and sustained collaboration is essential, as society is currently navigating a critical phase in the development of the 21st century driven by technological advancements.
He emphasized that the adoption of technologies such as AI is a strategic step to help Indonesia escape the middle-income trap. Therefore, technology adoption must be carried out as early as possible to accelerate the country’s progress beyond this condition.
Meanwhile, the Rector of Universitas Gadjah Mada, Ova Emilia, revealed that interest in AI at UGM is very high, even beyond engineering faculties. “Our 2024 digital transformation study shows that 70% of non-engineering researchers are interested in developing AI-based research,” she stated.
However, this strong interest still faces several challenges, such as limited infrastructure, access to advanced computing resources, and a supporting ecosystem. The Rector of Universitas Gadjah Mada, Ova Emilia, explained that AI technology has now become a fundamental necessity in advancing the tridharma of higher education. “There is so much we can leverage—from automation, speed, to accuracy. All of these support what we are doing, whether in educational transformation, research, services, or administration,” she stated.
Therefore, she emphasized that the AI Center of Excellence (AI CoE) will serve as a strategic solution to strengthen Indonesia’s AI ecosystem. “With this AI CoE initiative, we hope it will become a strategic entity for the university—not only for Universitas Gadjah Mada, but also for universities across Indonesia and the nation as a whole. It can provide strong infrastructure, act as a collaboration hub, and drive impactful innovations,” she affirmed.
From the industry perspective, the IT Digital Director of PT Telkom Indonesia (Persero) Tbk, Faizal Rochmad Djoemadi, views this collaboration as an ideal synergy between academia and industry. He explained that Telkom’s strength lies in understanding market needs. “Our skill is demand-driven—when the market needs something, we find the solution,” he stated.
Faizal Rochmad Djoemadi also emphasized the principle of innovation collaboration. “Innovation cannot be done by Telkom alone—it must involve other parties. Upstream innovation happens in universities, while downstream innovation takes place in industry. When these two entities are combined, the results can be extraordinary,” he concluded.
The AI Center of Excellence (AI CoE) is an initiative by PT Telkom Indonesia (Persero) Tbk to drive the national AI ecosystem through four main pillars connecting universities, research, practitioners, and industrial solution development. Through its collaboration with Universitas Gadjah Mada, the focus will include innovation in the energy sector—such as the use of acoustic sensors in fiber optic networks—as well as the downstreaming of healthcare research through technologies like e-Tongue and e-Nose.
To support the development of digital talent, both institutions will also establish an AI Learning Center, develop learning modules, and deliver capacity-building programs in collaboration with experts.
