AI expert encourages Kazakhstan to invest in new technologies

According to Kai-Fu Li, a venture capitalist and a member of Kazakhstan’s Council for the Development of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the country has a competitive advantage in the AI market due to its vast natural resources, which could help expand its computing capabilities.

Li noted that the U.S. and China currently dominate global AI model development and expertise, with other countries significantly lagging behind. However, he believes Kazakhstan has the opportunity to carve out a unique niche.

As the expert emphasized, Kazakhstan stands out for its implementation of GovTech, describing it as one of the world’s leading examples of AI use in the public sector.

Li also praised the country’s progress in digitalization, including the creation of so-called «data lakes» and the integration of public information systems. He said the results of these efforts will become especially noticeable over the next year or two, adding that Kazakhstan should not rely too heavily on its natural resources alone.

«I think that natural resources really turn into either energy or money, and energy and money support computing. So, Kazakhstan is among the better countries in the world with these natural resources and the willingness and ability to build good supercomputing data centers. Therefore, I think it is good enough to be in a good position. There is no race to be number one, and I think this is fine,» the expert emphasized.

Earlier this month, Kazakhstan released its first comprehensive report on the country’s AI market.

More than 100 AI startups are operating nationwide, and venture capital investment grew from $14 million in 2023 to $73 million in 2025.