Jazz and SIFC discuss AI computing infrastructure and data centres as Pakistan pursues its digital ambitions, but neither side discloses funding or project timelines.
ISLAMABAD, Nov. 9 (Focus Pakistan) — Plans for Jazz AI factories reached the government’s top investment body on Monday, as Pakistan’s emerging computing infrastructure market attracts growing corporate interest.
Jazz CEO Aamir Ibrahim met senior officials of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) on Monday to discuss potential investment in AI factories, data centres and next-generation digital infrastructure, the Press Information Department said in a statement.
The talks put Pakistan’s largest mobile operator at the centre of a fast-heating race to build the country’s computing backbone. They produced no price tag, however.
The government statement disclosed no investment amount, signed agreement, construction schedule or project site. Neither side shared direct quotes.
SIFC repeated its commitment to helping private investors. Both sides discussed areas of possible strategic collaboration, according to the statement.
That leaves the key questions open. How much will Jazz spend? Where will it build? And when will the first machines switch on?
What an AI Factory Actually Does
Conventional data centres support everything from websites and banking systems to cloud applications. AI factories focus on intensive computing workloads, using high-performance processors that demand substantial electricity and cooling.
Local hosting matters most to banks and government departments, which handle data that many institutions prefer to keep inside the country. Startups could also buy computing time locally rather than from overseas providers.
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Pakistan’s foreign cloud bill at $700 million to $800 million a year. Not all of that would shift to AI factories, though. Renting cloud storage and training AI models are related businesses, not the same one.
Jazz, which now markets itself as JazzWorld under parent company VEON, has spent years building toward this moment.
Its cloud platform, Garaj, launched in 2022. In November 2024, it signed Standard Chartered Bank Pakistan as a client. In April this year, Garaj formalised a strategic engagement with textile conglomerate Sapphire Group to support a planned high-density infrastructure zone for AI workloads. The companies disclosed no capacity or location.
Monday’s SIFC meeting suggests Jazz now wants to take that ambition further.
A Crowded Race
Jazz would enter a market where competitors have already invested. In July, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif inaugurated Sky47, an 8.5-megawatt data centre and AI cloud in Islamabad, Dawn reported. Sky47 is also developing a 5-megawatt site at Karachi’s Port Qasim.
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Data Vault Pakistan, which launched a locally hosted AI cloud with Telenor last year, has also moved ahead. US server maker Supermicro is conducting a feasibility study on upgrading Data Vault’s Karachi facility with Nvidia’s Blackwell-class chips, Business Recorder reported in July. Any upgrade involving advanced Nvidia chips could face US export licensing restrictions.
Rivals already operate AI capacity. Jazz runs cloud services through Garaj, but its AI factory plans remain at the discussion stage.
Reliable electricity remains a major challenge, while advanced computing facilities demand uninterrupted power and expensive cooling systems. Washington also restricts exports of its most advanced chips.
SIFC describes its role as facilitating investment. Monday’s statement, however, named no specific support, incentive or concession for Jazz.
Ibrahim’s visit signals intent. The test now lies in what follows: a signed agreement, a confirmed site and a figure that turns a meeting into a project.
Until then, Pakistan’s AI infrastructure race has another contender, but no new Jazz factory.
