Data center expert: Kazakhstan needs to accelerate energy sector development
Demand for data centers — especially from artificial intelligence (AI) projects — is growing faster than energy infrastructure can keep up, according to Akashi Data Center PLC Chief Operating Officer (COO) Adil Bilyalov. He made the remarks during a panel discussion at GITEX, the region’s largest tech and AI event in Almaty.
As Bilyalov noted, the key issue today is not investor interest, but whether infrastructure can deliver the required capacity.
«Today, the main question is how to provide data centers with a stable, predictable energy supply, along with choosing the right locations,» he said.
He emphasized that the structure of demand is shifting, with AI-related workloads now the primary driver, rather than traditional IT, which previously accounted for most of it.
«AI is not just changing the volume of demand — it’s changing the load profile. This is infrastructure for high-density computing, which places entirely different demands on the energy sector,» he said.
According to Bilyalov, this trend is already evident in practice. The first module of the Akashi data center, with a total capacity of approximately 10 megawatts, was fully booked before commissioning, with demand exceeding available capacity.
«We’re seeing demand materialize in large blocks, not gradually. We’re no longer talking about individual racks, but projects requiring tens of megawatts,» he explained.
The company is factoring this trend into its development plans. Specifically, it has allocated dedicated capacity for new types of workloads, including AI-related projects.
At this scale, Bilyalov noted, data centers are becoming comparable to large industrial facilities, requiring a more comprehensive approach to infrastructure development.
Kazakhstan has the potential to become a regional hub for data and computing, but the key factor will be how quickly its energy sector and related infrastructure can scale.
«To build a full-fledged hub, it’s not enough to have sites — you also need the ability to quickly deliver the required capacity,» he said, pointing out that global competition for such projects is already intense, particularly in the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia, where large data-centric clusters are rapidly emerging.
Bilyalov also emphasized the need to balance long-term and short-term solutions in the energy sector.
«Large-scale projects, such as building a nuclear power plant, are strategically important. However, the industry also needs solutions that can support demand growth in the near term,» he said.
Overall, he believes that data center development can help drive modernization of the energy sector by creating predictable, long-term demand.
«Data centers are anchor consumers that enable planning for generation and network infrastructure,» Bilyalov said.
However, he noted that future growth will depend on how effectively the expansion of digital infrastructure is aligned with the development of the energy sector.
