AI-ready data centre in Karachi: Zong seeks Sindh support for Tier-III project

ISLAMABAD: CMPak Limited (Zong), a subsidiary of China Mobile Communications Corpora-tion, has sought the Sindh government’s support for its planned Tier-III, AI-ready data centre in Karachi, describing the project as a landmark Chinese investment in the province’s digital infrastructure.

In a letter to the government, CMPak said the proposed facility in Karachi’s Korangi Industrial Area would have a planned capacity of around 1,600 racks and require approximately 20 megawatts of power.

The company said it had already invested Rs4.07 billion in the facility and planned to invest a further Rs14 billion over the next decade.

CMPak said the project would generate substantial direct and indirect employment and strengthen Sindh’s position as a destination for large-scale foreign investment in digital infrastructure.

The company noted that since 2007, it had invested more than Rs669 billion in Pakistan and contributed Rs431 billion in taxes, making it one of the country’s largest foreign direct investors.

According to CMPak, the data centre is being developed in line with the federal government’s Data Governance Policy 2026, National Artificial Intelligence Policy 2025, Pakistan Cloud First Policy and Digital Pakistan Vision, particularly their focus on data sovereignty, local data hosting and indigenous cloud and AI infrastructure.

The company emphasised that the Tier-III design of the facility requires redundant and independently routed power supplies. It said a single, non-redundant grid connection would be incompatible with Tier-III requirements because any interruption or fault on the feeder could result in a complete facility outage.

CMPak further said AI and high-performance computing workloads require substantially more electricity per rack than conventional enterprise IT hosting. Therefore, the planned 20MW facility would require power provisioning beyond that normally available through a standard commercial connection.

The company has requested the Sindh government, through the Energy Department and in coordination with K-Electric, to designate the Karachi AI-ready data centre as a priority strategic investment project.

It also sought facilitation of redundant power feeds from separate grid stations, enhanced sanctioned load of more than 10MW per connection and an expedited connection process through K-Electric.

CMPak additionally requested consideration of an industrial or purpose-specific electricity tariff category for the facility, arguing that such a tariff would support the long-term commercial viability of the investment.

The company said timely facilitation of its requests would enable Sindh to secure the full economic benefits of the investment and reinforce the province’s position as Pakistan’s leading destination for large-scale foreign investment in digital infrastructure.

CMPak also offered to brief the Sindh government and relevant departments on the project and its requirements.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026