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

Addressing the inauguration ceremony, the prime minister described the facility as “remarkable and truly inspiring”, saying 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 centre is amazing and commendable. I am extremely happy to witness this grand project,” he said.

The premier commended the leadership of the field marshal, saying the facility was built under his supervision in a record period of time.

“If we follow this model … I am absolutely convinced more than ever before not only will we be able to compensate 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.

Recalling the success in the Marka-e-Haq against India last year, he called it the finest moment in the country’s history.

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

Calling the project the future of Pakistan, the prime minister said it offered “impregnable security” and demonstrated that “everything is doable provided we put our act together”.

Also speaking at the ceremony, Minister for IT and Telecom Shaza Fatima Khawaja termed the data centre “a step in the right direction”, saying it provided Pakistan with the foundation of an infrastructure “capable of producing the most important economic unit today: token intelligence”.

“This is where Pakistan’s opportunity is extraordinary,” she said. “We’re a young nation, we’re a large nation, and we’re a nation of stunning human capability.”

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

The company, a majority-owned subsidiary of Mari Energies Limited, announced the launch through a disclosure submitted 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 centre had been designed to provide sovereign cloud infrastructure, artificial intelligence computing, cybersecurity solutions, enterprise hosting and managed technology services.

It said the facility aimed to support 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 localisation continues to grow, with businesses and public institutions increasingly seeking domestic infrastructure for managing sensitive digital operations.