Translated with AI
Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov met with NVIDIA Vice President Rev Lebaredian and Firebird co-founders Razmik Hovakimyan, CEO, and Alexander Yesayan. The meeting was also attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev, Chairman of the Board of Kazakhtelecom JSC Bagdat Musin, and U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan Julie Stufft.
Firebird, an American company, specializes in building AI infrastructure, developing data centers, and high-performance computing systems. The company implements projects in various regions of the world and collaborates with leading technology partners, including NVIDIA, a global leader in AI, high-performance computing, and digital infrastructure. The company's solutions are used in most of the world's leading supercomputers and data centers and underpin a significant portion of modern generative AI models.
During the meeting, issues related to the development of national AI infrastructure were discussed, including the creation of high-performance computing capacity, the deployment of modern data centers, and the attraction of international technology partners.
The Prime Minister emphasized that the development of AI and digital infrastructure is one of Kazakhstan's main priorities.
"The head of state declared 2026 the Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence, and this week the National Strategy for Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence Development, 'Digital Qazaqstan,' was adopted. One of the key digital projects currently underway is the 'Data Center Valley' in Ekibastuz. Our goal is to create a platform for hosting global digital infrastructure. We highly value the agreements reached with our partners at Firebird and NVIDIA," noted Olzhas Bektenov.
The Prime Minister emphasized the key advantages of the "Data Center Valley" project. These include a large land reserve, incentives, and competitive electricity prices. A key factor for investors is the project's high scalability: with 300 MW of capacity already available, it is planned to gradually increase to 1 GW.
Firebird co-founder and CEO Razmik Ovakimyan emphasized Kazakhstan's high potential for digital infrastructure development.
"I want to commend the President's vision for 2026 as the 'Year of AI.' When we first visited Kazakhstan, it quickly became clear that the country's ambition, know-how, and talent are world-class. Countries that invest today in advanced AI computing power, talent development, and innovation ecosystems will shape the economic opportunities of tomorrow. Firebird combines expertise in implementing cutting-edge US technologies, close partnerships in the global AI ecosystem, and the ability to implement large-scale infrastructure projects securely and with exceptional speed. Launching in 2027 will make Kazakhstan one of the top ten countries in the world. We have an incredible team, incredible capabilities, and we are excited to collaborate with the government of Kazakhstan, Nvidia, and our partners in the US to help Kazakhstan make its vision a reality," noted Razmik Hovakimyan.
NVIDIA Vice President Rev Lebaredyan presented key technological tools and approaches for implementing the "Data Center Valley" project and prospects for integrating Kazakhstan into the global AI ecosystem.
"Developing artificial intelligence requires what we call a 'five-layer cake.' This is where we take all the technologies in the lower layers and transform them into applications across industries and fields, so they deliver real benefit and value. But it all starts with energy. If you don't have energy, you can't develop anything else. That's the foundation. Kazakhstan has energy. Because you have it in abundance and can produce even more, you're a great place to start. In fact, Kazakhstan can participate at every level of this five-layer cake. From what I've seen, read, and see here now, Kazakhstan's spirit and will are focused on moving forward and leveraging the country's wealth—both natural and human—to usher in the new era of AI," said Rev Lebaredyan.
Meeting participants noted that interest in such projects is rapidly growing worldwide. International analysts estimate that the global artificial intelligence market will exceed hundreds of billions of dollars in the coming years, with demand for computing power to train and operate AI models growing at double-digit rates annually. Against this backdrop, countries are increasingly competing not only for developers and technologies, but also for the infrastructure that will become the foundation of the next-generation digital economy.
"Following the instructions of the Head of State, Kazakhstan is consistently building a national infrastructure for the development of artificial intelligence. The 'Data Center Valley' project will become one of the key platforms for the new AI token economy. Investments of $10 billion will enable the creation of a large-scale computing cluster in the country, powered by 100,000 state-of-the-art GPU chips, including NVIDIA GB300 and Vera Rubin. We estimate that the project will generate at least $3 billion in annual export revenue, create new jobs, attract global tech companies, and strengthen Kazakhstan's position as a key digital hub in Eurasia," said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev.
"We are creating an infrastructure designed for decades to come. The project's implementation will provide access to modern computing resources, accelerate the implementation of artificial intelligence technologies, and create the conditions for attracting global technology players. Our goal is to create one of the largest digital clusters in Eurasia in Kazakhstan," noted Bagdat Musin, Chairman of the Board of Kazakhtelecom JSC.
For Kazakhstan, the development of modern data centers and computing platforms opens up opportunities for attracting investment, localizing digital services, training engineering personnel, and creating new export-oriented technology sectors. Having its own high-performance infrastructure also creates the conditions for conducting scientific research, supporting startups, and expanding cloud services and AI solutions within the country.
Following the meeting, agreements were signed on cooperation in the field of AI and digital infrastructure for a total investment of $10 billion:
– a strategic cooperation agreement between the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Firebird, which establishes a framework agreement for the development of the AI ecosystem and the creation of Firebird Labs Kazakhstan based on Alem.ai;
– an agreement on the main terms of cooperation between KT-TELECOM LLC and Firebird Binding Term Sheet, defining the technical and organizational parameters of joint work in the Valley of Data Centers.
The agreements reached create the foundation for the further implementation of the "Data Center Valley" project, which envisions the creation of a modern technological base for the implementation of AI, cloud technologies, and next-generation digital services. The signed agreements reflect the growing interest of global technology companies in Kazakhstan as a promising platform for the development of AI infrastructure and strengthen the country's position as one of the emerging digital hubs in Central Eurasia.
