Gul Ahmed Venture and Huawei to Build Pakistan’s Largest Tier III Data Centre
KARACHI: Pakistan is set to take a major step in digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence development as Quantum Global Data Centre (QGDC), a venture of the Gul Ahmed Energy Group, announced plans to build the country’s largest Tier III data centre in partnership with Huawei Pakistan.
The massive project was officially unveiled during the Q Summit in Karachi, where QGDC and Huawei Pakistan signed a strategic partnership agreement to develop the advanced data centre along with a modern science and technology park focused on AI infrastructure, research and technology innovation.
According to reports, the project will begin with an initial investment of $230 million and is expected to become operational by 2027. Officials said the total investment could increase to nearly $600 million over the next three to four years as the project expands.
The proposed facility will be developed on a 30-acre site backed by a 136-megawatt captive power plant designed to provide uninterrupted electricity supply for high-performance computing and cloud operations.
A Tier III data centre is considered one of the most reliable digital infrastructure systems in the world. It includes backup power, cooling systems and network support that allow operations to continue even during maintenance or technical failures. Such facilities are widely used for artificial intelligence, cloud computing, digital banking, government systems and large-scale business operations.
QGDC Chairman Danish Iqbal said Pakistan is already spending between $700 million and $800 million every year on AI-related technologies and digital services, despite still being in the early stages of AI adoption.
He warned that if Pakistan fails to build local digital infrastructure now, the country may eventually depend on importing billions of dollars worth of foreign computing power and cloud services.
Iqbal said demand for data centres in Pakistan is expected to rise rapidly as businesses, hospitals, universities and government departments continue shifting toward cloud-based systems and AI technologies.
The project is also being viewed as an important step toward strengthening Pakistan’s digital sovereignty. At present, many Pakistani companies and institutions rely on overseas servers for cloud computing and AI workloads, raising concerns related to data privacy, cybersecurity and national security.
Huawei Pakistan officials said the collaboration would help accelerate Pakistan’s digital transformation by creating secure and modern infrastructure for artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, e-government services and digital finance.
The science and technology park planned alongside the data centre is expected to support research, innovation and talent development in emerging technologies. Officials believe the initiative could attract international investors and position Pakistan as a regional technology and data hub for Central Asia.
The announcement comes as Pakistan continues investing in local AI cloud systems and digital infrastructure projects aimed at reducing dependence on foreign technology providers and supporting the country’s rapidly growing digital economy.
