Key facts
- Pakistan launched its first purpose-built data center for state-level critical data.
- The facility was built with technology and equipment from China's ZTE.
- The Sky47 Karakoram-01 data center is designed as an AI-ready, sovereign-cloud platform.
- Experts express concerns about Pakistan's digital sovereignty and dependence on China.
- The project is part of a broader digital transformation initiative between Pakistan and China, termed 'CPEC 2.0'.
Pakistan has launched its first purpose-built data center for storing state-level critical data, a move that has sparked debate among experts regarding the nation's digital sovereignty. The facility, named Sky47 Karakoram-01, was constructed with technology and equipment supplied by China's ZTE, raising concerns about increased dependence on Beijing despite the involvement of the Pakistan army.
The inauguration on July 24, 2026, by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, marked a significant step in Pakistan's digital transformation, with the facility designed as a high-performance computing and sovereign cloud platform capable of supporting enterprise-scale AI workloads. Sky47 Limited, a subsidiary of Mari Energies, owns the data center, and a second facility is planned for Karachi, with a third node in Lahore to create a redundant network.
Critics argue that while the data may reside within Pakistan's borders, true sovereignty requires control over access, encryption keys, and the infrastructure itself, which may be compromised by reliance on foreign hardware and software. This dependency is amplified by the broader context of 'CPEC 2.0', a digital evolution of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which involves the transfer of Chinese AI frameworks, surveillance hardware, and digital governance tools.
Analysts suggest that Pakistan's structural economic constraints, including IMF stabilization programs, make it difficult to independently develop next-generation digital infrastructure, leading to an "AI on the Indus" initiative. This reliance on subsidized Chinese solutions creates technological path dependence, aligning Pakistan with Beijing's technical and data standards. The implementation of Chinese AI-powered systems in urban governance and internal security, such as 'Safe City' initiatives, further embeds China's algorithmic governance model within Pakistan's security apparatus.