Global tech giants such as Amazon, Microsoft and Google may be considering Kazakhstan as a location for data centers, amid rising geopolitical risks in other regions.
Shifting focus after Middle East disruptions
Speaking at the Kursiv Ecosystems Forum on April 17, Vladislav Minkevich, head of the AKASHI Data Center project in Astana, said recent attacks on infrastructure in the Middle East have prompted companies to reassess location strategies.
He claimed that several data centers in the region had been destroyed, including facilities linked to Amazon, highlighting the vulnerability of such assets. As a result, companies are increasingly looking toward countries with more stable geopolitical environments.
Growing demand for capacity
Minkevich noted that the AKASHI Data Center under construction is already 103% pre-booked, with about 15% of demand coming in just the past six weeks. He said this reflects heightened interest from international clients.
Kazakhstan is also developing a larger «Data Center Valley» project with planned capacity of 300 megawatts, while the AKASHI facility will add another 100 MW.
Regional competition and scale
For comparison, Saudi Arabia had total data center capacity of about 250-300 MW in 2025, with plans to expand to 2.2 gigawatts by 2028.
Minkevich said Kazakhstan may soon need to scale up further, potentially adding another 500 MW, as demand tied to artificial intelligence and digital services continues to grow.
He emphasized that building large-scale data centers is essential if Kazakhstan aims to position itself as a digital hub, particularly as AI development becomes increasingly dependent on reliable and secure infrastructure.
