Kathmandu. China is set to construct the world’s highest-altitude cloud computing data centre in Tibet. The centre that is handled by Ningsuan Technology Group has the backing of the Chinese government, and is considered to be a part of the nation’s strategy to institute Lhasa as an information hub in South Asia.

With a total planned investment of 11.8 billion yuan, the centre is expected to meet the data storage needs of several Chinese provinces, a portion of Southeast Asia, and the South Asian states like Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal. In addition to that, the centre that is located in the high-tech region of Lhasa, is projected to be fully operational by 2021, with the conclusion of the first phase. Ningsuan’s vice president and chief marketing officer, Wang Jun has stated that Tibet will be an industrial data base as it pushes forth with the advancement of a regional bureau, creating improvements in the international communication services.

The centre will be equipped to gather bulks of data from the South Asian region, and can build up the knowledge bases in these areas by enabling services like autonomous driving and distance learning. It covers an area of more than 645,000 square-meter, and stands at the height of almost 10,000 feet.

The tech firm also aims towards achieving a coordinated response from the South Asian states for China’s ambitious infrastructure plan, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It was announced back in June that pilot operations were already underway in the city, and within the process, Tibet was envisioned as almost like a pathway for China to gain access points into the region. The firm operating the Lhasa-based company apparently has research teams in Nanjing and data control centres in Beijing.

Hu Xiao, the general manager of the company, claimed in June that “More and more Chinese companies are investing and trading with South Asian countries, such as India, Nepal and Bangladesh. Most of these companies are considering upgrading or rebuilding their IT systems.” He added that “The cloud storage center is like an off-shore data embassy for Chinese companies and their counterparts in South Asia.”

When the first phase of operation is completed and the centre finally runs at its designated capacity, the firm will have an annual revenue of 1.5 billion yuan, with 10,000 machine cabinets.