RRI.CO.ID, Serang - The Banten Provincial Administration has expressed its readiness to accommodate major foreign direct investment in the data center and artificial intelligence (AI) sectors from China, following a strategic visit by Hexavia CEO Qimeng Sun to assess the region's digital infrastructure capacity.

Banten is increasingly positioned as a prime location for tech infrastructure due to its proximity to Jakarta, reliable international airport connections, toll road networks, and abundant power and water supply essential for running large-scale data centers.

Regional authorities highlighted several strategic zones currently attracting high-tech investment interest, including Cileles in Lebak Regency, the Education, Technology, and International Health Special Economic Zone (KEK ETKI) in BSD, Cikupa, and new exploratory sites in Serang.

The influx of tech investments aligns with central government mandates focused on industrial downstreaming and technological modernization, with local officials aiming to exceed the province's 2025 investment realization metrics in 2026.

Provincial leadership affirmed their commitment to facilitating regulatory processes and providing robust utility support for incoming international tech firms, while emphasizing human resource development.

Banten Governor Andra Soni confirmed the investment interest following a delegation meeting in Serang City. "I received colleagues from Beijing who operate in the information technology industry. They plan to build a data center in Indonesia. Banten is considered highly strategic due to its adequate infrastructure support," he said on Thursday, July 30, 2026, as quoted by Antara.

"President Prabowo's target is downstreaming. Naturally, we hope industries in Banten Province head in that direction so that the impact on job creation becomes increasingly evident," Andra added.

Echoing the governor's readiness, Head of the Banten Investment and One-Stop Integrated Services Office (DPMPTSP), Virgojanti, assured that the province's power, water, and land availability are fully prepared to support energy-intensive data centers.

"Alhamdulillah, in Banten Province all of those requirements are available, our upcoming challenge and opportunity is that Banten must build superior human resources in the technology field to welcome these investments," Virgojanti said. ***