On June 15, Kazakhstan took another major step in its large-scale AI push, signing a $10 billion package of agreements with Firebird and NVIDIA to build the Data Center Valley in Ekibastuz, including a planned cluster of 100,000 NVIDIA GPUs. The deal forms part of a broader strategy that began in 2025 with the creation of a dedicated Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development, followed by the declaration of 2026 as the “Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence,” the passage of Central Asia’s first comprehensive AI law, and the rollout of large-scale training programs and a National AI Platform. The country has also sought to raise its profile by hosting the region’s largest tech and AI event to date, the GITEX AI Central Asia & Caucasus forum.
Six months into the Year of AI and Digital Development, the question is not whether Kazakhstan has launched enough initiatives, but whether those initiatives are beginning to form a functional system.
Early signs of use are visible in public services, from crime forecasting to fraud detection. A presidential decree is pushing AI into secondary schools, with pilots expected this fall. However, like many digital and reform initiatives across the region, the gap between ambition and measurable outcomes remains wide. In most countries, government platforms that fail to open up to external developers and third parties in their early stages often struggle to develop into vibrant innovation ecosystems. So far, Kazakhstan has built the shell of such a system, but not yet the network effects that would make it self-sustaining.
