Indonesia, South Korea Launch ASEAN-Korea Supercomputing Facility

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia, through the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), has taken a significant step toward strengthening Southeast Asia’s digital research ecosystem with the launch of the ASEAN-Korea High Performance Computing (HPC) facility.

The initiative, inaugurated at the B.J. Habibie Building in Jakarta on June 18, 2026, is part of the Korea-ASEAN Digital Innovation Flagship Project (KADIF) and is designed to accelerate breakthroughs in data-driven research and artificial intelligence across the region.

BRIN Head Arif Satria emphasized that the facility will bolster regional computing power essential for tackling complex challenges. “From climate modeling to advanced technologies, large-scale computing is indispensable. This HPC facility provides the infrastructure to meet those needs,” he said, as quoted on BRIN's official website.

The system boasts a peak theoretical performance of 4.28 petaflops and a maximum tested performance of 3.10 petaflops. It is connected through a 10 GbE network via Indonesia Research and Education Network (ID-REN), ensuring high-speed access for ASEAN member states.

The facility has also been submitted as a candidate for the TOP500 list of the world’s most powerful supercomputers. Beyond hardware, Arif highlighted the importance of collaboration and human capital development.

“We hope this facility will be widely used to drive initiatives and partnerships among ASEAN countries. It is open to researchers, scientists, industry players, policy analysts, and development planners to innovate together,” he noted.

Training programs in data and AI are also included to strengthen regional expertise.

Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for the ASEAN Economic Community, Satvinder Singh, described the HPC as a strategic asset for the region’s digital competitiveness.

“More than just a supercomputer, this facility is a strategic resource. Access to advanced computing will be vital for innovation, digital transformation, and economic competitiveness,” he said.

He pointed to applications ranging from disaster mitigation and food security to healthcare, energy resilience, and next-generation AI.

“The true value of HPC lies not only in its technology but in the benefits it delivers. It can help ASEAN transform data into knowledge, knowledge into innovation, and innovation into economic and social progress,” Singh added.

President of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI), Sik Lee, underscored the project’s role in expanding access and building capacity.

“Through this initiative, we aim to provide ASEAN researchers with advanced computing resources while strengthening digital capabilities through effective use of data and AI,” he explained.

The project encompasses infrastructure development, creation of an ASEAN data utilization platform, and capacity-building programs in HPC and AI.

The hardware for the facility was received by BRIN at the Soekarno Science and Technology Area in Cibinong on April 21, 2026. Its operation is expected to reinforce ASEAN’s collective research infrastructure, supporting science, technology, innovation, and data-driven digital transformation across the region. ***