This is a part of the University's ongoing efforts of technological transformation of entire academic network to provide educational materials to millions of students living home and abroad.
The stone-laying ceremony of the data-center was held at the University main campus, said a press release issued here on Monday.
With this data center, the AIOU will become the first University in the country to meet the educational need of the students through fast communication network.
The data will store all relevant materials of the educational needs of not only AIOU students but the people at large. Through this data center, they will also have accessibility in the educational websites of other countries.
The AIOU will also seek the cooperation of PTCL for comfortable accessibility to educational materials.
Addressing the ceremony, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Nazir Ahmed Sangi said that AIOU is a committed partner of the government to fight against illiteracy and ignorance.
The University has also having collaboration with the provincial government in this regard, he added.
The AIOU website is currently being visited by more than four million students every month.
He said the other schools and colleges of the country could also put their educational material in this data center.
He further said the data center will also contain educational videos that will be inconformity with the Islamic culture and values.
The data center will include the entire information relating to examination, results, admission and mailing of books, tutors, lectures and student assignments.
Through this data, electronic version of the printed material will also be available to the students.
Dr. Nazir Ahmed said that data center will provide reliable and accurate information to students on their all relevant academic matters.
The data center will be developed through latest technology, under state-of-the-art techniques. It would be compatible to the international needs and standard.
Dr. Sangi further said that the data center will be developed within this year in line with the University's 2025 vision and the UN millennium goals.
It will entail maximum storage capacity that would be accessible to around 14 million students across the world.
The University will be able to save around 35 million per annum which is being spent on mailing of written materials to the students.
The function was arranged by Directorate of Information Communication Technology (ICT) and was addressed by Director, ICT, Asif Qazi, Director, Institute of Educational Technology, Muhammad Qasim Haider and Project Director, Syed Attaullah Shah.