Bagdat Mussin: AI transformation in Kazakhstan requires infrastructure and data access

According to Mussin, a traditional digital ecosystem relies on three pillars - human capital, venture investment, and supportive regulation. However, for AI this is not enough.

“This is about AI infrastructure. The infrastructure created for digitalization is insufficient, because in order to train AI models, there must be enough chips — at the moment only NVIDIA provides them. These chips are costly, and not every startup can afford them,” he noted, adding that the shortage of chips could slow down the emergence of AI startups in Kazakhstan.

To address this, Mussin emphasized the recent launch of two supercomputers by the Ministry and Kazakhtelecom. “These two supercomputers form the foundation of AI digital infrastructure in Kazakhstan. We are the first in the region to have not one, but two supercomputers,” he said. The new capacity, available via cloud services, is expected to boost startup development as well as the transformation of traditional companies.

The second crucial factor, Mussin said, is data accessibility. “Data is very important for artificial intelligence, and whoever has accumulated the most data is ahead in AI applications. What should startups without data do? This is a question the government should accelerate in solving — through OpenAI, more and more depersonalized data should be made available for domestic startups.”

He also highlighted the role of government leadership, stressing the importance of balance: “It is crucial not to overdo it with codes and regulations. What we lack today is trust and courage — more support for entrepreneurship and the entrepreneurial spirit.”

Mussin recalled examples of effective public–private cooperation during the pandemic, such as the launch of vehicle re-registration services on Kaspi.kz.

“It was much better than in e-government. They showed us how such services could be made far more user-friendly,” he said, suggesting that AI development should follow the same principle: “We should not focus solely on government tools. More freedom must be given so that startups and domestic businesses can apply technologies and drive transformation.”

He concluded that without basic digitalization, a breakthrough in AI is hardly possible.

“For us, as a country, the main task for both government and business is not to lose trust in each other and to ensure that regulations do not overburden business, while business remains responsible and inspires confidence.”

Earlier, it was reported that Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with Telegram founder Pavel Durov on the sidelines of the Digital Bridge 2025 International Tech Forum.