MAKASSAR – The Head of the Institute for Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence at Hasanuddin University (Unhas), Prof. Dr. Eng. Ir. Muhammad Niswar, S.T., M.InfoTech., has received the Suguru Yamaguchi Memorial Award 2026 from the School on Internet Asia (SOI Asia). The award was presented as part of the series of events commemorating SOI Asia’s 30th Anniversary.
The Suguru Yamaguchi Memorial Award is given in memory of Dr. Suguru Yamaguchi, a Japanese computer scientist who made important contributions to the development of the internet and cybersecurity. The award reflects the spirit of developing information technology to expand access to knowledge and education through internet networks.
The name of Dr. Suguru Yamaguchi is closely associated with the development of the internet ecosystem in Asia. Dr. Yamaguchi is known as one of the pioneers of cybersecurity and was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame. Dr. Yamaguchi’s dedication to developing technology and education through internet networks helped give life to the spirit that the award commemorates.
For Prof. Niswar, the award means more than mere recognition of an academic and professional journey. Prof. Niswar sees the award as a responsibility to carry forward Dr. Yamaguchi’s vision of expanding access to knowledge for developing countries.
“Receiving the Suguru Yamaguchi Memorial Award reflects a dedication to developing internet infrastructure and technology networks to support the advancement of education across countries,” said Prof. Niswar.
That dedication has long roots in Prof. Niswar’s involvement with the School on Internet (SOI) Asia, an international education consortium that connects universities and research institutions in the Asia-Pacific region through internet technology. Prof. Niswar served as SOI Asia’s first network operator at Unhas, starting in 2002.
During that period, Prof. Niswar was involved in setting up, configuring, and maintaining the SOI Asia satellite internet network at Unhas. This infrastructure opened up connectivity between Unhas, Eastern Indonesia, and global education networks.
This connectivity was important for the development of education in a region facing limited network infrastructure. Internet access opened a pathway for the academic community to take part in knowledge exchange, learning, and collaboration with education and research communities at the international level.
Prof. Niswar’s involvement later grew from strengthening infrastructure to developing human resource capacity. Prof. Niswar was entrusted with the role of Faculty Member in the Asia Pacific Internet Engineering (APIE) program, helping to formulate a regional curriculum and train a new generation of internet engineers across countries.
The SOI Asia network also made room for the development of applied research. Prof. Niswar has been involved in various Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) projects supported by the SOI Asia community.
These technological developments are now moving toward the integration of artificial intelligence and interconnected devices through the Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT). This approach enables digital systems to process data from various devices and generate AI-based responses to help solve real-world problems.
As Head of the Unhas Institute for Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence, Prof. Niswar sees AIoT and cyber resilience as important parts of the agenda for the next contributions within SOI Asia.
“Future contributions within SOI Asia will focus on developing research based on AIoT and cyber resilience to solve real challenges, as well as expanding the APIE program to equip students with modern internet engineering expertise on a global scale,” added Prof. Niswar.
Strengthening this collaboration is also aimed at expanding the benefits for the Unhas academic community. Access to multilateral international research and the integration of a cutting-edge digital curriculum are expected to strengthen the capacity of students and researchers to keep pace with global technological developments.
For Unhas, the SOI Asia network opens up opportunities to strengthen its role in transferring internet technology knowledge from the Asia-Pacific region to universities in Eastern Indonesia. The collaboration also supports the development of digital competencies relevant to today’s technological needs.
The Suguru Yamaguchi Memorial Award 2026 was conferred on 2 September 2026 on the sidelines of the SOI Asia 62nd Meeting and 30th Anniversary Conference at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB). A contribution that began with the development of a satellite-based internet network in 2002 has now moved into more complex territory: AIoT research, cyber resilience, strengthening internet engineering competencies, and expanding access to technological knowledge for the academic community in Eastern Indonesia. (*/mir)
Editor: Ishaq Rahman
This article is an English translation of the original Indonesian report.