Bukalapak to Build the Biggest Research and Development Center in Bandung

Achmad Zaky, Bukalapak CEO and Informatics Engineering ’04

Jakarta, CNN Indonesia – Bukalapak will build the largest research center in Bandung by the middle of this year. The research center would brew new technologies ranging from drone, blockchain, augmented reality (AR), to artificial intelligence (AI).

CEO of Bukalapak Achmad Zaky revealed one of the reasons for the selection of Bandung as a research center location cannot be separated from the history of his studies. Zaky majored in Informatics Engineering at Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), 2004.

However, the biggest reason for the placement of a technology research center in Bandung is because of the large number of campuses that focus on technology studies. When compared with other cities in Indonesia, according to Zaky, Bandung has the most. “If you talk technology in Bandung, there are ITB, Itenas, Telkom Bandung, Unpar. Even Jakarta has less,”said Zaky in the 8th birthday press conference Bukalapak in Kuningan, Wednesday (10/1).

In line with the plan, Bukalapak has involved several campuses and lecturers and deans who are engaged in technology in Bandung. Zaky also claimed to have discussions with the Mayor of Bandung to discuss the potential implementation of smart city.

Until now, the process of developing Bukalapak research center is still in the budget stage and land search. Zaky is reluctant to call the location of the research center to be built.

However, the plan of the facility will stand on a land of approximately 5,000 square meters. Zaky was still reluctant to disclose the value of investment to be disbursed.

Zaky projected 30 percent to 50 percent of Bukalapak’s engineer activity will be derived from their own facilities. Quantitatively, Bukalapak targets to recruit 200 local talents through the research center.

“We want to build the largest research center in Bandung and hopefully it becomes our commitment to develop local talent as well as to promote domestic industry,” added Zaky.

The research center will be researching and developing new technologies that are generally not widely available in Indonesia, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), drone delivery, blockchain, AI, and AR. Bukalapak did not specify how the technology would be implemented in their current services. Previously, Bukalapak already has an office in Bandung which occupied 20 employees.

But with the development of a research center, they will concentrate all of their research activities there in the middle of this year. (by age via cnnindonesia)