Nongsa D-Town to bridge Singapore and Indonesian Tech
NONGSA D-Town, a new “digital downtown”, was launched today, 2nd March, at a virtual event. Singapore and Indonesian ministers both officiated the event.
The 62-hectare development is located in Batam. It aims to bridge tech companies and talents in Singapore and Indonesia digitally. It will have the capacity to house 8,000 tech talents when completed.
Nongsa D-Town is part of the existing Nongsa Digital Park (NDP). The NDP is the outcome of bilateral discussions to develop Batam as a digital bridge between Singapore and Indonesia. Indonesia has designated the park as a Special Economic Zone for the digital economy and tourism.
Airlangga Hartato, Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, said: “Batam has the geostrategic advantage of being located close to Singapore. In conclusion, it can serve as a digital bridge to connect Singapore to other growing cities; in Indonesia.”
Currently, Nongsa Digital Park houses around 1,000 tech workers from over 100 companies. Tuesday’s launch also marked the inauguration of three newly completed offices to accommodate an additional 750 workers.
In his remarks for the launch event, Chan Chun Sing, Singapore’s Trade and Industry Minister, said, “D-Town marks the next phase in the story of Nongsa Digital Park. In addition, NDP is envisioned as a vibrant location for those in the tech and digital sector to live, code, design and play”.
He added: “Above all, D-Town’s proximity to Singapore offers opportunities for Singapore-based companies to leverage the complementary strengths of Singapore’s and Indonesia’s tech ecosystems.”
The development is a 40-minute ferry ride to-and-from Singapore.
Background on Nongsa D-Town
Surbana Jurong designed Nongsa D-Town. In addition, PT Citra developed Nongsa D-Town. PT Citra Sinar Global is a joint venture between Citramas Group and Sinar Mas Land. The new downtown area will include, firstly, co-working and secondly, co-living spaces. There will also be digital training centres, office towers, lifestyle and shopping centres, and hotels.
Michael Widjaja, Sinar Mas Land’s Group CEO, said Nongsa D-Town’s prime location in Batam, supported by training centres and other facilities. It will drive a young generation to be part of the creative and digital tech industry.
Citramas Group’s CEO, Mike Wiluan, agreed that companies could run their operations and locate their workforce in Nongsa. Similarly, Singapore can act as the business centre for their activities.
