KARACHI: The Sindh government and CMPak (Zong), a fully owned subsidiary of China Mobile Communications Corporation, on Thursday agreed to collaborate on the establishment of an advanced “AI-ready Tier-III” data center in Karachi under a public-private partnership framework.
A strategic agreement was signed in a high-level meeting at CM House between Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and a CMPak delegation led by Chairman and CEO Huo Junli. The facility is expected to serve as a key catalyst for Pakistan’s digital economy by facilitating local data hosting, cloud computing and enterprise artificial intelligence transformation.
The Sindh Government is committed to strengthening Pakistan’s digital future through an AI-ready Tier-III data centre in partnership with CMPak, enabling secure data hosting, advanced cloud and AI services, while positioning Karachi as a regional hub for digital innovation. pic.twitter.com/mL9dvDOOP6
— Syed Rizwan Shah (@RizwanMuraad) August 21, 2026
High Power Infrastructure Needs & Provincial Guarantees
CMPak executives pointed out that an AI-ready Tier-III data center needs substantially larger, more consistent electrical loads than regular telecom facilities during the briefing. The telecom giant wanted certain provincial policy support to facilitate operations.
In response, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah directed the provincial departments to expedite the requests of CMPak to make sure that the project is viable:
- Conversion of the plant’s electricity tariff from commercial to lower industrial rates.
- Improving local grid capacity and providing dual power feeds to avoid operational downtime.
- The data center will be accorded official priority status for fast clearances on administrative and regulatory fronts.
Economic Impact & Technological Capabilities
CMPak, which has invested over $3 billion to date and operates 5G in over 20 cities in Pakistan serving over 55 million subscribers, said the data center will greatly enhance the nation’s digital sovereignty.
| Key Feature | Strategic Objective | Socio-Economic Value |
| AI & Cloud Infrastructure | Advanced localized hosting for AI & enterprise workloads | Positions Karachi as a regional digital hub |
| Tier-III Redundancy | High-load power supply with dual feeds | Ensures 99.982% uptime for critical government and corporate data |
| Public-Private Framework | Joint execution between Sindh Govt and CMPak | Attracts foreign tech capital and generates high-value tech employment |
“Such projects are essential for building Pakistan’s digital future and strengthening our technological sovereignty. The future economy will be driven by data, artificial intelligence, and cloud technologies.”— Syed Murad Ali Shah, Chief Minister of Sindh
