Nov 04, 2026
Kneron and Sinar Mas Deepen Strategic Partnership to Accelerate Edge AI and Sovereign AI Across Southeast Asia
Partnership combines Kneron's pioneering NPU technology with one of Indonesia's largest diversified business ecosystems, spanning eight major industries, to advance next-generation AI infrastructure and commercialization.
SAN DIEGO, Calif. and JAKARTA, Indonesia — [11/04]— Kneron and Sinar Mas join forces to build the next generation of AI infrastructure in Indonesia and Southeast Asia.
Sinar Mas is Indonesia’s established and diversified business groups, with a history spanning nearly nine decades and operations across financial services, telecommunications and technology, energy and infrastructure, agribusiness and food, healthcare and education.
With deep roots in Indonesia and an extensive ecosystem spanning multiple strategic industries, Sinar Mas has played an important role in the country’s economic and digital development.
The group’s broad industrial footprint and deep understanding of the Indonesian market and opportunities provide a strong foundation for its strategic partnership with Kneron, particularly as Indonesia and Southeast Asia enter a new phase of AI adoption, digital infrastructure development and Sovereign AI.
Bringing AI Beyond the Data Center
As artificial intelligence evolves from large-scale GPU training toward inference and real-world deployment, demand is accelerating for computing solutions that deliver high performance with lower energy consumption, reduced costs and greater data privacy.
Kneron has pioneered NPU architectures designed specifically for efficient AI inference, enabling advanced AI capabilities across smartphones, automobiles, robotics, industrial equipment and enterprise systems. Its technology portfolio extends from individual AI processors to Edge AI servers and enterprise-scale infrastructure.
"The next decade of AI will not be defined solely by who can train the largest models, but by who can bring intelligence into billions of devices and everyday life," said Dr. Albert Liu, Founder and CEO of Kneron.
"Our partnership with Sinar Mas brings together Kneron's AI innovation with the extraordinary scale and industrial reach of one of Southeast Asia's most influential business ecosystems. Together, we see significant opportunities to accelerate AI adoption across Indonesia and the broader region."
Unlocking AI Opportunities Across Eight Major Industries
Sinar Mas' extensive business ecosystem provides a powerful platform for deploying AI across multiple sectors. Its affiliated enterprises include major international businesses such as Asia Pulp & Paper, Golden Agri-Resources, Sinar Mas Land and Bank Sinarmas, with operations spanning manufacturing, telecommunications, financial services, energy and global supply chains.
Through this partnership, the companies will explore opportunities in intelligent manufacturing, financial services, telecommunications, smart infrastructure, retail automation and enterprise AI.
By combining Kneron's energy-efficient AI computing platforms with Sinar Mas' established industry networks, the collaboration aims to accelerate the transition from AI innovation to large-scale commercial applications.
Advancing Sovereign AI in Southeast Asia
The partnership will also explore Sovereign AI infrastructure, supporting growing regional demand for secure, energy-efficient and locally controlled AI computing.
As governments and enterprises prioritize data sovereignty and technological independence, Kneron's NPU-based solutions offer an alternative to exclusively cloud-dependent AI infrastructure by enabling more AI workloads to be processed locally.
This approach can reduce computing costs, improve responsiveness, strengthen data privacy and support more sustainable AI deployment.
With Indonesia as an initial strategic market, Kneron and Sinar Mas aim to establish a long-term foundation for expanding Edge AI, Enterprise AI and Sovereign AI capabilities throughout Southeast Asia.
"The first chapter of AI was about building increasingly powerful models. The next chapter is about making AI work efficiently in the real world," Liu added. "Together with Sinar Mas, we look forward to helping bring that future to Southeast Asia."
About Kneron
Kneron is a global pioneer in NPU technology and Edge AI computing, developing proprietary AI processors, software platforms and integrated inference systems. Its energy-efficient solutions enable AI applications across automotive, robotics, smart manufacturing, healthcare, security, consumer electronics and enterprise computing.
About Sinar Mas
Founded in 1938, Sinar Mas is one of Indonesia's largest diversified business ecosystems, with operations spanning eight major industries: pulp and paper, agribusiness and food, financial services, real estate, telecommunications and technology, energy and infrastructure, healthcare and education.
Its affiliated businesses include Asia Pulp & Paper, Golden Agri-Resources, Sinar Mas Land and Bank Sinarmas, with extensive operations across Indonesia and international markets. Through its substantial industrial presence and established business networks, Sinar Mas plays an important role in Indonesia's economic development and digital transformation.
SAN DIEGO, Calif. and JAKARTA, Indonesia — [11/04]— Kneron and Sinar Mas join forces to build the next generation of AI infrastructure in Indonesia and Southeast Asia.
Sinar Mas is Indonesia’s established and diversified business groups, with a history spanning nearly nine decades and operations across financial services, telecommunications and technology, energy and infrastructure, agribusiness and food, healthcare and education.
With deep roots in Indonesia and an extensive ecosystem spanning multiple strategic industries, Sinar Mas has played an important role in the country’s economic and digital development.
The group’s broad industrial footprint and deep understanding of the Indonesian market and opportunities provide a strong foundation for its strategic partnership with Kneron, particularly as Indonesia and Southeast Asia enter a new phase of AI adoption, digital infrastructure development and Sovereign AI.
Bringing AI Beyond the Data Center
As artificial intelligence evolves from large-scale GPU training toward inference and real-world deployment, demand is accelerating for computing solutions that deliver high performance with lower energy consumption, reduced costs and greater data privacy.
Kneron has pioneered NPU architectures designed specifically for efficient AI inference, enabling advanced AI capabilities across smartphones, automobiles, robotics, industrial equipment and enterprise systems. Its technology portfolio extends from individual AI processors to Edge AI servers and enterprise-scale infrastructure.
"The next decade of AI will not be defined solely by who can train the largest models, but by who can bring intelligence into billions of devices and everyday life," said Dr. Albert Liu, Founder and CEO of Kneron.
"Our partnership with Sinar Mas brings together Kneron's AI innovation with the extraordinary scale and industrial reach of one of Southeast Asia's most influential business ecosystems. Together, we see significant opportunities to accelerate AI adoption across Indonesia and the broader region."
Unlocking AI Opportunities Across Eight Major Industries
Sinar Mas' extensive business ecosystem provides a powerful platform for deploying AI across multiple sectors. Its affiliated enterprises include major international businesses such as Asia Pulp & Paper, Golden Agri-Resources, Sinar Mas Land and Bank Sinarmas, with operations spanning manufacturing, telecommunications, financial services, energy and global supply chains.
Through this partnership, the companies will explore opportunities in intelligent manufacturing, financial services, telecommunications, smart infrastructure, retail automation and enterprise AI.
By combining Kneron's energy-efficient AI computing platforms with Sinar Mas' established industry networks, the collaboration aims to accelerate the transition from AI innovation to large-scale commercial applications.
Advancing Sovereign AI in Southeast Asia
The partnership will also explore Sovereign AI infrastructure, supporting growing regional demand for secure, energy-efficient and locally controlled AI computing.
As governments and enterprises prioritize data sovereignty and technological independence, Kneron's NPU-based solutions offer an alternative to exclusively cloud-dependent AI infrastructure by enabling more AI workloads to be processed locally.
This approach can reduce computing costs, improve responsiveness, strengthen data privacy and support more sustainable AI deployment.
With Indonesia as an initial strategic market, Kneron and Sinar Mas aim to establish a long-term foundation for expanding Edge AI, Enterprise AI and Sovereign AI capabilities throughout Southeast Asia.
"The first chapter of AI was about building increasingly powerful models. The next chapter is about making AI work efficiently in the real world," Liu added. "Together with Sinar Mas, we look forward to helping bring that future to Southeast Asia."
About Kneron
Kneron is a global pioneer in NPU technology and Edge AI computing, developing proprietary AI processors, software platforms and integrated inference systems. Its energy-efficient solutions enable AI applications across automotive, robotics, smart manufacturing, healthcare, security, consumer electronics and enterprise computing.
About Sinar Mas
Founded in 1938, Sinar Mas is one of Indonesia's largest diversified business ecosystems, with operations spanning eight major industries: pulp and paper, agribusiness and food, financial services, real estate, telecommunications and technology, energy and infrastructure, healthcare and education.
Its affiliated businesses include Asia Pulp & Paper, Golden Agri-Resources, Sinar Mas Land and Bank Sinarmas, with extensive operations across Indonesia and international markets. Through its substantial industrial presence and established business networks, Sinar Mas plays an important role in Indonesia's economic development and digital transformation.
