Indosat's Lintasarta bets big on local AI with 'Semesta AI' accelerator

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Lintasarta has taken a decisive step in shaping Indonesia’s AI landscape, unveiling Semesta AI - a national startup accelerator that brings together government vision, corporate ambition, and NVIDIA-backed deep tech capabilities into one strategic platform.

Unfolding under the umbrella of Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (IOH), where Lintasarta serves as the official AI Factory, Semesta AI aims to accelerate the country’s push toward technological sovereignty by nurturing homegrown AI solutions.

This latest initiative follows Sahabat-AI, a suite of Large Language Models (LLMs) developed with NVIDIA NeMo™ and NVIDIA NIM™, designed specifically for Indonesia’s linguistic and industrial nuances.

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“Semesta AI is designed as a tangible platform to nurture and collaborate with local innovators. Our goal is not only to accelerate the development of AI technology, but also to drive sustainable impact for Indonesia’s digital economy,” said Bayu Hanantasena (pictured, second from right), president director and CEO of Lintasarta.

Backed by NVIDIA Inception, Semesta AI offers 20 selected startups a deep mentoring curriculum tailored to real-world use cases across finance, healthcare, manufacturing, and public services. Another 30 startups will receive technical assistance.

Startups selected for Semesta AI gain access to cutting-edge accelerated computing technology from NVIDIA, alongside hands-on guidance from global AI professionals. The programme also offers training focused on building ethical, impactful solutions, opportunities to collaborate with over 2,300 corporate clients within Lintasarta’s network, and the chance to earn up to US$15,000 in “GPU Merdeka” vouchers for standout projects.

The accelerator culminates in the selection of Top Ten Semesta AI - startups primed to implement their solutions at scale across enterprise clients.

Lintasarta’s vision aligns closely with Indonesia’s broader digital sovereignty ambitions, particularly Sustainable Development Goal 9 - fostering inclusive, sustainable innovation and infrastructure. The government has voiced strong support for the initiative, positioning it as a milestone in Indonesia’s creative economy and digital transformation roadmap.

“The launch of Semesta AI 2025 is more than just a platform for startups - it marks a significant milestone in building cross-sector collaboration to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence in Indonesia,” said Irene Umar (pictured, second from left), deputy minister of creative economy.

“AI is not merely a supporting technology, but a strategic tool for driving efficiency, fostering creativity, and enhancing the global competitiveness of Indonesia’s creative products. The government fully supports the safe, inclusive, and ethical use of AI, while promoting a co-creation ecosystem that allows local talent to thrive and create meaningful impact,” she added.

Indonesia’s AI market is still emerging, but initiatives such as Semesta AI represent a calculated bet: that AI solutions born in Indonesia, and trained on its own data and languages, will be better equipped to solve its problems - and scale regionally.

By building the ecosystem from the ground up, Lintasarta is positioning itself not just as a service provider, but as a long-term architect of digital infrastructure. “We believe Indonesia’s AI talent holds immense potential. Through Semesta AI, we aim to take a decisive leap in preparing the country’s digital ecosystem to compete on a global stage,” Hanantasena concluded.

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