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

CMPak Limited, known as Zong and part of China Mobile Communications Corporation, has asked the Sindh government to back a planned Tier-III data centre in Karachi designed for artificial intelligence workloads, according to Business Recorder. The company wrote to the province seeking help for the Korangi Industrial Area facility, which would hold around 1,600 racks and need about 20 megawatts of power. Zong has already put Rs4.07 billion into the site and plans Rs14 billion more over the next decade.

Zong says the Tier-III standard calls for redundant power feeds routed independently, because a single grid link could cause the whole facility to go offline after one fault. It notes that AI and high-performance computing racks draw far heavier loads than ordinary enterprise hosting, so the site needs more power than a regular commercial connection offers. Zong has therefore asked the Sindh Energy Department, working with K-Electric, to treat the project as a priority strategic investment and to secure separate grid feeds. It also wants sanctioned load raised above 10MW per connection, a faster K-Electric connection process and a dedicated tariff category for the facility.

Zong also points to more than Rs669 billion invested in Pakistan since 2007, along with Rs431 billion paid in taxes. It describes itself as among the largest foreign direct investors in the country. The company has also volunteered to walk provincial officials through the project and what it needs.