Sri Lanka Launches Next-Gen Government Cloud Infrastructure
▼ Summary
– Sri Lanka has completed procurement for the new Lanka Government Cloud (LGC 2.5), advancing its digital transformation and infrastructure modernization.
– LGC 2.5 is ready to host workload transfers from the existing system, enhancing government digital services with resilient, advanced infrastructure and increased capacity.
– The platform will serve as the foundation for a hybrid multi-cloud architecture, integrating various cloud types and supporting AI computing workloads for public sector systems.
– A multi-cloud strategy will invite local and international operators to build the digital ecosystem, with a second cloud platform planned for data replication and security.
– The upgrade addresses scalability limits of the previous system, providing flexibility and capacity needed for digital public infrastructure, including a national digital ID system.
Sri Lanka has officially completed the acquisition process for its next-generation Lanka Government Cloud (LGC 2.5), representing a pivotal advancement in the country’s ongoing digital transformation and infrastructure modernization. Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya, Advisor to the President on Digital Economy, confirmed that the new platform is now ready to begin hosting workload migrations from the existing system, significantly boosting the capabilities of government digital services.
According to Dr. Wijayasuriya, LGC 2.5 delivers a fully resilient and technologically sophisticated infrastructure with substantially increased capacity. He described the upgrade as a major leap forward in cloud capability, designed to meet the growing demands of public sector operations. The enhanced platform will serve as the core of Sri Lanka’s hybrid multi-cloud architecture, seamlessly integrating resident, sovereign, and public cloud services. It also incorporates specialized infrastructure tailored for artificial intelligence computing workloads, allowing government systems to handle emerging technologies more efficiently and securely.
The multi-cloud approach is intended to draw both local and international hyper-scale cloud and data center operators into the development of the nation’s next-generation digital ecosystem. A formal call for expressions of interest is scheduled for later this year, which will initiate subsequent procurement and contracting stages. Dr. Wijayasuriya also revealed that a second cloud platform is in preparation under the same strategy, aimed at ensuring superior data replication, availability, and security standards.
Managed by the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA), the Lanka Government Cloud functions as the central infrastructure underpinning Sri Lanka’s e-government services. The system was first introduced as LGC 1.0 to support the Lanka Gate e-government platform. Although it received an upgrade over time, the platform eventually encountered scalability limitations that hindered its ability to keep pace with expanding government and citizen service requirements. The new LGC 2.5 directly addresses these constraints by offering the flexibility and expanded capacity necessary for the country’s evolving digital public infrastructure.
This technological enhancement coincides with Sri Lanka’s efforts to roll out a national digital ID system. In this context, ensuring data sovereignty, privacy, and the security of biometric information is considered essential for maintaining public confidence in the government’s broader digital strategy.
(Source: MEA Tech Watch)