Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with NVIDIA Vice President of Global AI Infrastructure Growth Nico Caprez, as well as Firebird AI co-founders Razmig Hovaghimian and Alexander Yesayan.
E-government within three years
During the meeting, the parties discussed the development of artificial intelligence and the creation of modern digital infrastructure in the country, according to the president’s press service. In particular, they explored potential cooperation in the design, construction and operation of AI infrastructure.
This follows Tokayev’s statement that Kazakhstan aims to become a fully digital state within the next three years.
The president also emphasized that the launch of supercomputer clusters based on NVIDIA technologies has already marked an important step in this direction and strengthens the country’s technological sovereignty.
Data Center Valley
Speaking about Kazakhstan’s plans in the IT sector, Tokayev elaborated on the initiative to create a “Data Center Valley” in Ekibastuz, the Pavlodar region. Under this project, the government plans to promote computing infrastructure supported by affordable electricity, robust telecommunications and tax incentives for investors.
In turn, representatives of NVIDIA and Firebird AI noted that they are implementing a similar project in Armenia.
Following the meeting, the sides agreed to explore opportunities for joint collaboration in developing Kazakhstan’s AI ecosystem.
Context
Earlier this year, Kazakhstan’s cabinet announced plans to build four data centers in Ekibastuz, each with a capacity of 50 megawatts. This initiative comes amid a global push for AI, as companies worldwide invest billions of dollars to expand server capacity and build data centers.
To support the plan, the government has already reserved 300 megawatts of capacity for future data centers in the proposed data center valley. Authorities estimate that demand could eventually grow to as much as 1 gigawatt.
The first 50-megawatt AI data center is expected to be built by Kazakhtelecom in the second quarter of 2027.
