BW Digital, a member of BW Group and headquartered in Singapore, and Citramas Group, an Indonesia-based conglomerate, have on Monday announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the joint development of a carrier-neutral digital ecosystem in Batam’s Nongsa Digital Park (NDP), Indonesia.
This strategic partnership follows BW Digital’s acquisition of more than 55,000 square meters of land at the Citramas-owned Nongsa Digital Park in Batam, to build its inaugural data center in South-East Asia and strengthen its Asia-Pacific digital infrastructure portfolio, the duo said in a statement.
BW Digital is a subsidiary of BW Group, a global energy and maritime group headquartered in Singapore and which includes seven listed companies with a combined market capitalization of around $11 billion.
The firm develops, funds and operates digital infrastructures in the Asia-Pacific region.
Privately-owned and carrier-neutral, BW Digital is the owner and developer of the Hawaiki and Hawaiki Nui submarine cables.
Founded in 1980, the Indonesian-based Citramas Group operates multiple businesses spanning shipping and logistics, drilling services, port and ferry terminal infrastructure development, oilfield equipment manufacturing, hotels, animation and film as well as hospitality and leisure.
The group has extensive strategic investments in Batam with operations across Indonesia.
With a capacity of up to 80MW, the next-generation data center will be designed to meet high density requirements. It will provide scalable solutions for enterprise, cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) workloads, while helping customers to achieve their goals for carbon neutrality and general sustainability.
As joint partners, BW Digital and Citramas Group will work together to deliver a comprehensive suite of infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) solutions co-located within BW Digital’s data center.
Customers will have access to a unique portfolio of technology assets and services, including landing infrastructure for new submarine cables, international and domestic connectivity, data storage facilities, and computing power for the development of artificial intelligence and machine learning applications.
“BW Digital is pleased to forge a strategic alliance with Citramas Group, underpinned by our shared vision to drive business success with best-in-class digital solutions for the fast-growing South East Asian economy,” said Ludovic Hutier, Chief Executive Officer of BW Digital.
“We hope to accelerate the growth of Nongsa Digital Park as an emerging hub for innovation and technology,
“This new step anchors BW Digital’s long-term vision to create a neutral and trusted digital ecosystem in the Asia-Pacific region, in tandem with the development of Hawaiki Nui, our new subsea cable, which will first connect South East Asia and Australasia,” he added.
Mike Wiluan, Chief Executive Officer of Citramas Group, said that Citramas is honored to have BW Digital join the Nongsa Digital Park Ecosystem to further develop its data center and connectivity infrastructure.
“BW Digital’s expertise and experience in this area adds immense value in furthering NDP as a strategic data center hub in the region, connecting Indonesia to key global markets,
“This partnership will enhance NDP’s status as a center of excellence in the digital arena, providing more opportunities to our multinational tenants and partners to evolve their digital ambitions in Indonesia and beyond,” he aded.
Herman Loh, Senior Vice President and Head, Southeast Asia and Oceania region, Singapore Economic Development Board, said they welcome BW Digital and Citramas Group’s collaboration in Nongsa which highlights the strong growth and partnership opportunities available in Southeast Asia.
“BW Digital’s investment in Nongsa will support the increased demand for digital infrastructure and services in the region,” he added.
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