With the ever-increasing speed of internet connectivity, the world is slowly moving towards cloud computing for all office and home activities that are being done online. Cloud computing allows online and on-demand access to data storage and computing power, allowing users to use large software and database online on small devices like mobile phones. To set up a data centre, three things are required; fibre optic access, inexpensive electricity and a moderate climate.

In Pakistan work on many hydel power projects has begun, and almost all of them are located in mountainous cooler regions and have access to inexpensive and uninterrupted electricity.

If the federal government agrees to provide fibre optic access to these regions and promote the availability of suitable locations for data centres, Pakistan can easily become Asia’s next major data centre destination.

This will be a boon for the country as it will bring jobs, foreign investment and speedier internet.

Shahryar Khan Baseer
Peshawar

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2020