Minister for State Enterprises, Hon. William Duma, officially launched Kumul Cloud Infinity on 21 August 2026 at the Sheraton Hotel in Port Moresby, marking a significant step in Papua New Guinea’s development of sovereign cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) capability.

Delivered through collaboration between Telikom Limited, Datec PNG Limited and international technology partners, the facility provides government agencies, State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) and businesses with infrastructure to store and process data within Papua New Guinea.

Minister Duma described Kumul Cloud Infinity as a strategic national asset that would strengthen digital sovereignty, protect critical information and support economic modernisation.

“Kumul Cloud Infinity gives Papua New Guinea the capability to store and process critical information within our own sovereign jurisdiction,” he said.

He said the storage, protection and management of financial records, health information, educational data and other sensitive information were matters of national importance. The platform would help reduce reliance on offshore infrastructure and strengthen the resilience of PNG’s digital economy.

Minister Duma said the investment also provided a foundation for developing AI applications to support healthcare, agriculture, education, disaster forecasting, financial inclusion and public administration.

“Its success, however, will not be measured only by its technical capacity. It will be measured by the public services it improves, the businesses it enables, the jobs it creates and the opportunities it brings to ordinary Papua New Guineans,” he said.

Datec Chairman Moses Maladina, CMG, said Kumul Cloud Infinity brought advanced computing technology and secure data services into the country, enabling organisations to access cloud infrastructure and run demanding AI applications locally.

“We now have technology and infrastructure designed to provide our customers with cloud computing, artificial intelligence and secure data services here in country,” Mr Maladina said.

The facility incorporates NVIDIA H200 graphics processing unit capability to support AI workloads and large-scale information analysis, alongside cloud computing and data storage services.

Mr Maladina said reliable operations were central to the facility’s design. Multiple layers of power resilience include grid electricity, an uninterruptible power supply and conventional standby generation. Datec is also partnering with Geogas PNG to provide gas-based power generation.

Specialised cooling, connectivity, cybersecurity and technical support form part of the infrastructure, which has been designed to accommodate future expansion.

Both leaders emphasised that investment in technology must be accompanied by investment in Papua New Guinean skills.

Minister Duma encouraged Datec, Telikom and their partners to establish structured training, certification and knowledge-transfer programmes for engineers, graduates and technology professionals.

“This national asset must produce not only computing capacity, but also national capability,” he said.

Mr Maladina highlighted the need for local expertise in cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, software development, data science and AI, saying human capability must develop alongside the infrastructure.

He also outlined Datec’s intention to develop a second AI data centre in Lae, supporting further growth and providing geographic redundancy to strengthen service resilience.

Minister Duma commended Telikom and Datec for combining telecommunications infrastructure, connectivity and ICT expertise to deliver a project of national significance. Both speakers acknowledged CloudSigma, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, NVIDIA and other technology partners, as well as Datec Chief Executive Officer Preetam Talukdar and the teams involved in delivering the initiative.

Minister Duma stressed that the facility must maintain high standards of cybersecurity, governance, reliability and customer service. He called on government departments, SOEs, financial institutions, universities and private-sector organisations to explore how the platform could support their digital transformation.

Officially declaring Kumul Cloud Infinity launched and open for service, he said the investment demonstrated the potential for SOEs to collaborate, innovate and deliver lasting benefits for Papua New Guinea.