The Pakistan Digital Authority (PDA) and the DFINITY Foundation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance sovereign AI-native digital infrastructure in Pakistan, aiming to keep sensitive data in-country while enabling secure, modern software systems for the AI era.
This partnership involves DFINITY supporting the establishment of a dedicated Pakistan Subnet on its Internet Computer Platform (ICP). The ICP is designed as a sovereign cloud capable of hosting tamper-resistant software, national-scale applications, and AI-powered systems that can operate independently of foreign cloud infrastructure. Dominic Williams, Chief Scientist and Founder of DFINITY and Caffeine, stated that by establishing a Pakistan Subnet and investing in sovereign systems, the country is laying the groundwork for secure, verifiable software and AI applications tailored to national priorities.
The collaboration also includes plans for a National Messenger application to facilitate private and verifiable communications. Furthermore, it will expand access to Caffeine, an AI platform incubated by DFINITY, by providing 1,500 Caffeine licenses. These licenses will support the creation of applications and capacity-building initiatives across government, education, and entrepreneurship sectors. DFINITY plans to establish a local presence in Pakistan to reinforce long-term collaboration and technical engagement.
Dr. Sohail Munir, Chairperson of the Pakistan Digital Authority, commented on the significance of the partnership, noting that investing in sovereign cloud infrastructure and AI-ready platforms strengthens national resilience, fosters innovation, and creates new opportunities for public institutions, students, and entrepreneurs.
Caffeine is an AI platform that enables users to build and deploy production-ready applications and services on the Internet Computer using natural language. It aims to remove traditional development barriers, making it accessible to solo builders, municipalities, banks, and public institutions worldwide. Since its launch, Caffeine has processed over 3.4 million build prompts.
DFINITY, a non-profit organization, created the Internet Computer, an open network providing a serverless sovereign cloud. This platform allows governments, institutions, and individuals to run tamper-proof and resilient software with full ownership, free from reliance on foreign providers or intelligence agency access. DFINITY has invested over $500 million in research and development, with its team contributing to numerous publications and patents in distributed systems, cryptography, and advanced computing. The Pakistan Digital Authority (PDA), established under the Digital Nation Pakistan Act 2025, is the national government body responsible for architecting, governing, and driving Pakistan’s digital transformation.
