Kyivstar & AWS launch AI lab to boost Ukraine's economy
Kyivstar, in collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS), has launched a new generative AI lab in Ukraine. The lab aims to boost Ukrainian enterprises' efficiency and support economic recovery.
VEON, Kyivstar's parent company, announced the initiative as part of its broader strategy to facilitate the introduction of AI technologies across Ukrainian businesses. This development follows a favourable court ruling that unfreezes VEON's corporate rights in its Ukrainian subsidiaries.
The newly established AI lab will leverage AWS's cloud solutions, offering services like text and visual content generation, augmented intelligence-based chatbots, and virtual assistants, aiming to enhance businesses' operational efficiencies.
Oleksandr Komarov, CEO of Kyivstar, stated, "Generative AI has the potential to be a transformative force for the efficiency and competitiveness of Ukraine's enterprises. It will also play a pivotal role in driving economic growth as part of Ukraine's long-term recovery. Our successful partnership with AWS has bolstered our expertise in data processing and analysis. The launch of this generative AI lab represents the next step in delivering innovative augmented intelligence and cloud services to our business customers," said Komarov.
The AI lab is focused on assisting Ukrainian enterprises and is set to offer services such as cloud migration and analytics to international markets, enhancing Ukraine's technology export capabilities.
This initiative builds on the existing collaboration between Kyivstar and AWS, which began in December 2023. The partnership initially focused on accelerating cloud migration, improving data storage solutions, and enhancing cybersecurity, including migrating Kyivstar's data management platform to the AWS cloud.
As part of its commitment to Ukraine's post-conflict recovery, VEON and Kyivstar have committed to a five-year investment plan totalling USD $1 billion, extending from 2023 to 2027. This investment marks a significant increase from the previously announced USD $600 million and is intended to fund network and digital service expansions, potential acquisitions, social initiatives, and further partnerships.
Forbes Ukraine and New Voice of Ukraine recognised Kyivstar as the top international investor in Ukraine in 2022 and 2023.
Kyivstar is Ukraine's largest telecommunications operator, serving over 23 million mobile subscribers and over one million home internet subscribers. Since February 2022, the company has maintained over 90% network availability, ensuring connectivity for its customers and the broader Ukrainian populace.
VEON, headquartered in Amsterdam, is a Nasdaq-listed digital operator. It provides digital services and connectivity to nearly 160 million customers across six countries. The company uses technology-driven services to empower individuals and drive economic growth.
