Mari Petroleum Company Limited (MPCL), traditionally known for its oil and gas operations, has announced its venture into the technology sector with a significant investment in data centers, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence. This initiative, in collaboration with various partners, involves developing Tier III and Tier IV-certified, purpose-built data centers throughout Pakistan, aiming to address the burgeoning data management and processing demands of public and private entities.
Currently, Pakistan hosts 22 data centers, but the addition by MPCL will expand this infrastructure to support the growing needs of various industries for co-location and cloud services. This strategic move, as reported by The Business Recorder, is designed to cater to the evolving technological requirements across different sectors.
This development follows MPCL’s August announcement about the creation of a subsidiary focused on cloud computing and AI, as highlighted by Data Centre Dynamics. This week, MPCL confirmed the formation of a new digital infrastructure subsidiary backed by a US$36 million equity investment.
The announcement, which first appeared in a Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) notice, was brief and lacked detailed information such as the exact number of data centers planned, their locations, scales, or timelines. Nevertheless, the launch ceremony for the first data center took place this week in Karachi, signaling the start of what MPCL envisions as a significant contribution to meeting the rising demands for digital services.
Founded in 1984 and controlled by the Fauji Foundation—a conglomerate largely managed by Pakistan’s armed forces—MPCL is stepping into a sector that is rapidly becoming essential for economic growth and technological advancement.
