Swiss Company Enters Pakistan to Help Build Local Cloud Services

Pakistan is taking a significant step toward digital sovereignty as the Pakistan Digital Authority (PDA) and Switzerland-based DFINITY Foundation have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop sovereign, AI-native digital infrastructure in the country.

The partnership is aimed at ensuring that sensitive national data remains within Pakistan while enabling the development of secure, modern software systems designed for the AI era. The agreement was signed in Islamabad and Zurich, marking a cross-border collaboration focused on strengthening Pakistan’s digital future.

Under the MoU, DFINITY will support the creation of a dedicated Pakistan Subnet on its Internet Computer Platform (ICP). This platform operates as a sovereign cloud, capable of hosting tamper-resistant software, national-scale digital services, and AI-powered applications that can function independently of foreign cloud providers.

A key component of the collaboration is the planned pilot of a National Messenger application. The app is intended to enable private, secure, and verifiable communications, particularly for government and institutional use.

The partnership also includes expanding access to Caffeine, an AI platform incubated by DFINITY. As part of this initiative, 1,500 Caffeine licenses will be provided to support application development and capacity-building efforts across government departments, educational institutions, and the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Officials view the agreement as a move toward greater technological independence, reduced reliance on foreign infrastructure, and the development of home-grown digital solutions. The collaboration is expected to play a role in Pakistan’s broader digital transformation agenda, particularly in areas related to AI, secure communications, and cloud-based public services.